The Blood Traitors: Liberty
by Sunshine Dust
Summary: Harry has his hands full with a pregnant wife and training a new Auror, but the Blood Traitors are not going to make it easy for him. A little girl has been dragged into the dark underground of the Neo Death Eaters, and they want to help save her. Sequel
1. Prologue

Prologue

Ten Years Ago…

The Auror

On the second level of the Ministry of Magic, within a cubicle in the Auror Headquarters, a woman sat alone on the floor. She had collapsed there after a fit of defeated sobs. Her legs were bent close to her body and a rigid arm supported her, palm flat on the cheap carpet. Long, wavy brunet hair hung from her bowed head, hiding most of her face. There were wet spots from fallen tears gleaming on her other hand, which rested motionless in her lap.

_Nothing could be done._

Mihayla Mears was not crying anymore, just staring numbly at the tiny spots of liquid on her skin. She had been told that nothing could be done to help the most important man in her life.

Charlton Fairbairn had trained her for the past year and helped her reach her goal of becoming an Auror. They became partners. He was her best friend and… much more.

Now she was expected to put all of that aside and give up. Charlton was missing in the underground, and she was no longer allowed to search for him because "Nothing could be done". No one was expected to still be living two weeks after captured by the Neo Death Eaters. Charlie had been gone for a month. As she was an inexperienced Auror, the Ministry would not let her go under cover to look for him any longer. They had given up on him – even his family had started making funeral arrangements.

_One more week_, she told herself. All she needed was one more week with the Neos and she'd find him – whatever his fate.

_Nothing could be done? _

That was unacceptable.

Mihayla picked herself up from the floor and moved to Charlie's desk. Tomorrow his family would come to empty the drawers and take away his things. Brushing a dark strand of hair out of her face, she opened the top drawer and peered inside.

Everything was just as he had left it: immaculate and neatly sorted. Sitting in the right corner of the drawer organizer, glinting silver in the light of the office, was a pocket watch. She wasn't sure why he had left it behind – perhaps because he was going under cover and hadn't wanted to lose it. Mihayla picked it up and cradled it in her palm before snapping the drawer closed.

No one noticed her walking silently down the hall, nor did they see her enter the lift.

No one saw Mihayla Mears turn her back on the Ministry of Magic.

She would leave the "doing _nothing_" to them…

The Optimus

Somewhere deep underground in Wales, inside a secret room known only to the current generation of Death Eaters, there was a series of spells going off. Outside of this room, only red and purple lights could be seen through the crack beneath the thick oak door. The only sounds were the gasps and shrieks of agony coming from a dying man's throat. There was a short moment where silence reigned before a chilling cackle sliced the quiet aftermath. The door to the room flew open.

Nineteen-year-old Roman Luciano fled from the chamber, following the twisting labyrinthine hallway for some time until he reached a deserted alcove. The young Italian stopped and pressed his back hard against the stone wall. He tried desperately to keep his composure, but his emotions were in overload. The alcove was cold, but he was trembling uncontrollably for a much different reason. It was taking every thing he had just to hold back the scream that was welling in his throat. He felt lightheaded.

'_This isn't right!_' He thought in a panic. '_I shouldn't be here. I don't want to kill people. I can't!_'

"I can't," he said audibly. "I can't do this…"

The image of the dying man wouldn't leave his sight: the contorted features and the screams. The blood… He pressed his palms to his eyes, but nothing would get that image out of his head. And he couldn't do anything. He had just stood there while they killed the man. He banged the back of his skull on the wall a few times.

'_Nothing could be done_,' he told himself fiercely. '_If I had tried to stop them, they would have killed me too. I couldn't do anything… Get it together, idiot_!'

"Rome!"

The voice made him start violently. He slid down the wall a few inches.

The tall, muscular blond man who had spoken came up to him at a jog. "Rome, what happened?"

"Don't say my real name in here," Roman breathed, his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the wall.

"Sorry," said the man. "What's up, Julius?"

Roman didn't answer. He clenched his fists and eyes shut and tried to pull himself together.

The bigger man seized Roman's shoulders in his beefy hands and shook him. "Breathe, Julius!" Roman gasped in a breath. "What in the name of Merlin is wrong with you?"

Roman's eyes flew open and he gawked at his friend. "Malleus," he said suddenly, "I didn't know they were going to… to kill that man."

"_That's_ what's bothering you?" Malleus asked incredulously. "Haven't you ever seen a dead bloke? You've been working for the Optimates for a whole year, and you're upset because they killed an Auror?"

"YES!" Roman shouted, leaning toward Malleus. "They didn't just kill; they _mutilated_ a person in there!" He pointed rigidly in the general direction of the murder scene. "Of course I'm upset! How can this not bother you?"

"It bother's me more that you're acting this way," Malleus countered, arching a blond eyebrow at him. "You're a bloody Optimus, Julius. Death is in the job description."

"No! I joined because of you! You told me my job was to break into wherever you needed to go. You never said I'd have to watch people die!"

"I thought you understood!" Malleus insisted. "Rome, you're the one who's going to kill them!"

Roman's breath caught in his chest and he had to hold onto his friend's shoulder to stay upright. He was shaking again.

"I – I can't do that, mate," he managed to croak after a moment.

"You can, and you will," Malleus told him. Roman looked at him suddenly, trying to find anything threatening in the big man's visage, but he looked just like any concerned best friend should look.

"I'll admit, it wasn't easy for me the first time, either, but you get over it," Malleus reassured him. "Give it some time – for Merlin's sake, stop holding your breath – and you'll realize why we had to kill him. Maybe you should take tomorrow off or something."

Roman was taking deep breaths now, his head tilted against the wall again, but the poker face was resettling.

"I'll tell Dad you need a little vacation," Malleus continued. "You can go back to France or wherever for the weekend."

"No!" Roman said sharply. "No, Malleus, don't tell your father that I had a melt down. He'd think I was… just don't tell him, okay?"

"Okay," his friend said, still eying him with some concern. "You getting better now?"

Roman took one more settling breath and nodded once.

"Good. Now let's go. We've got to be briefed for tomorrow's mission." He clapped Roman on the shoulder with his heavy hand and physically turned him back down the hall.

Calm and quiet, Roman walked with the blond man back down the hall – back to the Optimates.

The next day, and for the next ten years, he would commit the ultimate betrayal of the underground. As he continued to move up in the ranks of the Optimates, he started passing information to a man from the Ministry of Magic.

_(Ha! Bet none of you saw the sequal coming this quickly, did you? Well, don't expect the next chapter too soon, though I'll write it as fast as I can. I am a poor college student with very little free time, after all. Thanks so much to everyone who followed and reviewed my last story!)_

_Disclaimer: Okay, yeah, the characters in the prologue are mine, but my first chapter and probably every chapter after it are about characters that belong to the magical J.K. Rowling. I would never want to do her an injustice by writing them without giving her full creadit. She really is a wonderful wiz, if ever a wiz there was!_


	2. Chapter 1 The Kidnapping

_Chapter One_

_The Kidnapping_

1

"No, Potter! I'm telling you she shouldn't be here!"

"Yell a little louder, Mak. I don't think the Optimates heard you," said thirty-seven-year-old Harry Potter in annoyance. Makhesh Vemulakonda had always been a little too uptight for Harry's patience and if he kept this ranting up, he would give away their position.

A group of Neo Death Eaters (now called Optimates) were meeting in the abandoned warehouse next door. Kingsley had told him to take a group of his fellow Aurors to the location and storm the place. So, he did just that, with the addition of his former assistant and current Auror in training, Agape Eishorbgy. Mak was not pleased with the arrangement.

Harry had been in Auror training with Mak and they were on equal grounds in the Ministry, so they ended up working together quite often. Mak was too by-the-book in Harry's opinion, but he got the job done – most of the time.

"She cannot be here!" Mak insisted. "She's only been in training for six months!" He gestured to Agape, the handsome black-haired woman standing meekly between them.

"Five months," she corrected in a small voice.

"_Five_? She's only been training for five months?" Mak was furious, but Harry was too busy to care.

"Remember how much we learned in five months, Mak?" he said matter-of-factly. "Well, Agape has been helping me for years – she's got five months plus a lot more under her belt. She's the best in her class. Aren't you, Agape?"

Agape arched an eyebrow at him as if he were crazy – granted he may have been on the brink at that point with how little sleep he had been getting. "No," she replied. "Lupin's boy is better."

Mak gave Harry a meaningful look.

"Sure he is," Harry relented, shrugging. "He's been in training longer. But Kingsley put you in the same class level. You must have done something right if you never even needed the beginner's courses."

"Has she even taken her first exam?"

They both looked at Agape. Smiling sheepishly, she shook her head, no.

Mak whirled back to Harry, his expression livid. "She's a liability!"

"I'll stay out of the way," Agape said, pleading. "I'm just observing."

"There's no such thing!" Mak shouted at her. He leaned forward menacingly, and though he was five inches shorter than five-feet-eleven Agape, she backed up a pace. "You can't just sit back and watch. You're either involved or you get out of the way. And you'll be in the way no matter what you do, Miss Eishorbgy, because you don't know what you're doing!"

"Mak" Harry said, looking up from the blueprints of the building they were about to infiltrate, "Johnson could use some help at the back door. And I could really use some cooperation – since I am the one in charge here."

"But –"

"Give me a break. I followed along with your mission when you needed help last week, didn't I? We're about to arrest thirteen more Optimates, but we need you in order to do that. So please, let's just do our job and get these tossers."

Harry was tired. Tired and fed up with Makhesh. He made this fact plain on his face as he gave the other Auror a meaningful look of his own.

Mak glared back at him contemptuously. "Alright, Harry," he finally yielded. "Have it your way – but if this thing goes sour –"

"– I'm fully responsible, bla-bla-bla, and you'll personally tell Kingsley, I'm sure."

"Yes."

"Go please."

Mak turned on his heel and left the room.

"Maybe I should just go," Agape began, but Harry waved off the suggestion.

"You wanted to be here, right?" he said.

"Well, yes…"

"Then don't let Mak scare you off. You'll do fine. This is a routine bust – it shouldn't be too difficult."

Difficult was an understatement. Things went deceptively smooth at first; the Aurors crept into the decaying warehouse, silent and swift as a pack of wolves hunting deer. The unwitting Optimates were having some sort of meeting inside a slanting loft office on the west wall of the building. It must have been a poorly thought out last minute plan, because there were only two guards – both quietly taken down. Mak and a group of Aurors stayed on the ground floor, prepared to head off any escaping Neos, while Harry and another group climbed the stairs to the loft. Eleven masked, black clad figures stood around an ancient desk that listed as badly as the loft floor. Harry signaled his crew to ready themselves for the bust.

It was when they broke inside that things got more complicated – and painful. As soon as the Aurors were in the office, the Optimates were ready with an escape plan – which consisted of each of them pointing their wands at the floor before anyone could stop them and destroying the support beams holding up the loft. As the wood panels gave way beneath his feet, Harry's stomach lurched into this throat. Agape reached for him – although she was falling too – but they were separated by a portion of the roof caving in. Both groups of Aurors and the Neos ended up in a pile of splintered wood and shards of glass after the two-story drop.

Immediately after clambering out of the rubble, Harry apprehended two masked men who were sniping the Aurors from what was left of the second story catwalk. Mak, ignoring several slivers of glass in his right arm and shoulder, caught two more bolting for the nearest exit. Left and right, people were running, bleeding, fighting, being arrested. But in the end ten out of the thirteen Neos were apprehended and lined up to be unmasked and identified.

Harry shoved a man into the line up and let the other Aurors take over while he made a sweeping glance of the warehouse for Agape. Bolts of pain shot through his left arm whenever he moved it, which he ignored – he was much more worried about Agape. He was getting anxious when he didn't see her right away, but eventually he spotted her Ministry robes among the collapsed loft as she managed to heave a large wood plank off of herself and a barely moving masked figure. Harry rushed over to her.

"Agape!" he called, trying to find footing over the debris. "Are you alright?"

The disheveled dark haired woman coughed a little and waved the disturbed dust away from her face. "I'm alright," she answered bitterly. "Just jostled. I did manage to snare this woman – just before we were both crushed, that is."

She pointed her wand down at the Optimus beside her and barked, "You. Can you walk?"

The masked woman braced herself on each arm and pulled her legs out from under a crushed table. She slowly got to her feet and faced her capturers without speaking.

"She makes eleven out of thirteen. Congratulations, Agape," said Harry, beaming at her as he too aimed his wand at the Optimus for good measure. "You just made your first arrest before even taking your first Auror exam. I'll make sure Mak knows he owes you an apology."

"You don't have to do that, Harry. He already hates me."

"And miss the chance to get under that bugger's skin?"

She ignored him and peered at his left arm. "Harry, why is your arm hanging like that?"

"Oh, it's probably dislocated," Harry answered offhandedly. "Let's unmask her so I can get it fixed before I start to feel it too much."

Agape pointed her wand at the Optimus and shackled her hands behind her back with a spell. Then she snatched the woman's hood away from her head, revealing waves of dark brunet hair. The prisoner regarded them resignedly with rich, amber colored eyes that, no doubt, captured many a man's attention. However, the feature that stood out most boldly on her face was a scar that cut through her right eyebrow. When Agape unmasked her, they could see that it continued in a jagged line below her eye and angled down her cheek before spitting into her full lips and finally ending at her chin.

"Accio wand," Harry said, but nothing came to him. The woman continued to watch him without much emotion and didn't answer when he asked, "Where's your wand?" He frowned at her while Agape checked all of her pockets, sleeves and pant legs by patting her down.

"Huh, she doesn't have a wand on her," said Agape.

"Are you sure," Harry asked.

"There aren't many places to hide something over ten inches long," she pointed out. "I'll just put her with the others."

They lead the limping, completely silent Optimus over to the line up to be carted off to Azkaban, and then the two decided to head for St. Mungos to take care of their injuries from the hard fall.

"Wait until I tell Ginny you arrested someone today," Harry said to Agape proudly. "She'll go ballistic."

Agape just laughed and looked relieved to be in one piece.

2

Betrys Kimber was late for work – as she was most of her life. She had been born late, had arrived late to the alter at her wedding, she'd given birth to her daughter two weeks overdue, and now she'd have to explain to her boss why she was not on time once again. Working as a nurse for the night shift at St. Mungo's, she couldn't yell at the relieving day shift nurses for tardiness when she was perpetually coming in five, sometimes ten minutes past (if not more).

"Libby!" she cried from the kitchen where she was putting together a last second meal for her daughter. "Lib! Come down here please!" When there was still no answer, she sighed in frustration, set the plate of food on the table, and went to the bottom of the stairs.

"Liberty Kimber!"

At last, the five-year-old girl appeared at the top of the stairs. Her frizzy black hair stuck out in two short pigtails at the top of her head, and she was wearing her favorite pajamas – the ones she had pointed at in the store and said "Mummy! Those have puppies like Daddy on them! Can I get those?"

Betrys held out her hand for the little girl to come down the stairs and take. "Look at you," she said, a smile of relief flashing over her pretty features, "I was going to tell you to get into your jams, but you're so good you already did it. C'mon, Mummy is very late and Norma is walking over now, so go into the kitchen and eat your dinner, okay?"

The little girl didn't look very happy about it, but she was getting used to her mother leaving every night now – especially since they got to spend most of the day together under the working arrangement. She obediently went into the kitchen and climbed into a chair at the tiny table where her plate sat waiting.

Betrys watched her for a moment to make sure she was eating, and then whirled on the mirror in the foyer. The pretty, oval-faced black woman looking back at her was tired due to adjusting to her new schedule, but ready for another night. Her hair was expertly (and expensively) curled into a thousand glossy black ringlets around her shoulders and her makeup was as close to perfect as humanly possible.

A hand rapped on her front door and Betrys leapt forward to open it, letting in Norma, the twenty-something girl from down the street who was desperate enough for extra cash to baby-sit over night. Betrys informed Norma that Liberty was dressed for bed and was just eating dinner (late, of course) and that she had been promised she could stay up for an extra thirty minutes that night. She kissed her daughter goodbye and ran to the fireplace to get to work via Floo Network.

3

Logan Bireley was woken very early in the morning by someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw the messy haired silhouette of Alton Drake standing over him. Logan squinted against the light pouring into his room from the living room.

"What is it, Alt," he asked groggily.

"Lenore Lupin wants to talk to you," said Alton, running a hand through his blood red hair. His words were slightly muffled by the dragon hide mask he wore over his mouth and nose. Alton had little control of his fire breathing mutation while he slept, and wearing a fireproof mask at all times was better than burning the house down.

"What? Why would Lenore be calling?" Logan muttered as he sat up in bed and made to rise.

"She's at the Ministry," Alton told him, shuffling back to the living room, "but I didn't ask why she wanted to talk to you."

Logan frowned and put on some pants and a shirt before going to the fireplace. Sure enough, Lenore's head was inside the flames, waiting to talk to him.

"What's up, Lenore?" He sat down on the hearth and leaned forward.

The young woman didn't seem to know what she should say. "Logan, I think you should come here as soon as you can," she said finally.

Her tone sent a bad feeling through him. "What's happened?"

"Your ex-wife is talking to my boss, and –" but she was cut off by a familiar woman's voice.

"Is that Logan?" cried Betrys. Suddenly she was leaning into the fire with Lenore; her face was drenched in tears and she looked frantic. She must have been desperate if she was that eager to see Logan.

"Logan," she sobbed, "they've taken Libby! They took her from our house!"

Logan's eyes went wide and it felt like his heart had stopped. "What! Who? Who took Libby? Betrys, what happened?"

"I-I was at work and s-someone got in the house and they," she gasped in a shuddering breath. "Oh, Logan, they took Liberty! They took my baby…" she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

Logan stared at her for a moment in a state of helpless shock. He glanced quickly over his shoulder at Alton, who was sitting on the couch behind him. His red haired friend had been listening out of concern, but now he jumped up to retrieve his cellular phone.

"I'll tell the group what's going on," he said, "go find out everything you can." He paused at the kitchen table where Logan's mobile was sitting and turned back to Logan. Tossing him the phone, he added, "Call me as soon as you're done with the Ministry."

"Logan," Lenore's voice called him back. She was holding Betrys around the shoulders in comfort as she wept. "You should come in soon. My boss wants to talk to you too, and I think Miss Kimber would feel better if you were here."

"I'll come through the fireplace," Logan assured her as he got back to his feet.

When Lenore and Betrys disappeared from the fireplace with a pop, he followed Alton into the kitchen a few paces. The shorter man was already on the phone with someone. A very pale Logan paused, unsure of what to do with himself at the moment.

"Well, round everyone up," Alton said to whoever of their comrades was on the other line. "They all know to have their mobiles on… It doesn't matter if you can't get Jules. Just get everyone you can – tell Ferris to find Jules once you get to the basement… Good. I'm on my way." He flipped the phone closed and gave Logan a troubled look.

"You know the Optimates are behind this, don't you," he asked.

Logan only nodded in reply.

Alton grasped his shoulder in a firm grip. "We'll get her, mate," he promised. "Just take a breath and get to the Ministry."

"Why would they want to hurt my little girl, Alton?" Logan said, his voice breaking.

Alton shook his shoulder slightly to grab his attention. "We won't give them a chance to," he said in an uncharacteristically stern voice. "Find out everything you can, then come to the basement and let us know what's going on."

_(Some useful information: for you readers who didn't read the last story - or if you just never got this note before - Optimates is pronounced Op-tee-ma-tis. It's Latin for "the best", or "the purest." Thank you so much for the reviews, Lulgijak, captin jacks grl, and Shaggy37!)_


	3. Chapter 2 Pickles and Peanut Butter

_Chapter Two_

_Pickles and Peanut Butter_

1

At five o'clock in the morning Logan was on his way to the Ministry, but Harry was just waking to a sharp finger poking him repeatedly in the back. He grunted unhappily, which amounted to a disgruntled "what?" that early in the morning.

Beside him in the bed, Ginny poked him again, unsatisfied with his answer.

"Wuh?" he muttered into his pillow.

"What?"

Scowling with drowsiness, Harry picked his head up and said clearly, "I said '_what_?'"

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Ginny replied in her defense. "Honestly, I don't know how you breathe with you face in the pillow like that."

Harry saw what time it was on the clock and sighed. "It's five a.m., Gin. What's up?"

"No, now you're angry. Just go back to sleep."

"Ginny, don't be ridiculous," Harry grumbled. "I'm already awake. What do you need?"

"I'm hungry."

He grinned and uttered a short laugh. "What else is new?"

Ginny was in her seventh month of pregnancy – saying she was hungry was the understatement of the year.

"We ran out of pickles," she told him, the tone of her voice was plaintive.

Harry yawned hugely and automatically threw his legs over the side of the bed, preparing to get up. "There was a whole jar last night," he said, though he already knew what she would say.

"I ate those earlier. Oh, yeah, and we're almost out of peanut butter."

As he tugged on some pants and a shirt, he paused to look over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you eating peanut butter and pickles again?"

Ginny grinned at him in the dark. "You got a problem with that?"

He leaned across the bed and kissed her. "No, just as long as you don't start eating dirt out of the yard again."

"Hey! The doctor said geophagia is perfectly ordinary in some pregnant women!"

Harry chuckled at her as he pulled on a jacket and pocketed his wand. "You didn't have geophagia with Kyla," he pointed out.

His redheaded wife stretched on the bed, her stomach fuller than the three-quarter moon shining though their window. "Maybe I did, and I just didn't tell you."

"Sneaky," he teased. "Is there anything else I should get while I'm out? A square of sod perhaps?"

"Just hurry up and get my pickles and peanut butter," she laughed.

He grinned and left the room, calling back to her once he was in the hall: "Do you like grey, brown, or red clay?"

"Shut up!"

2

Logan walked out of the fireplace into an antechamber with a small desk in the corner, juxtaposed to a stiff looking chair for people waiting. A young woman immediately stood up behind the desk. He recognized twenty-year-old Lenore Lupin, Remus's daughter.

Lenore had watchful hazel eyes and shoulder length hair that was the same light brown her father's had been before he went grey. She was a short woman (only about five feet, two inches) and so slender she bordered on bony. Her shrewd stare saw every anxiety on his face as she greeted him soberly.

"Ms. Yates had Betrys taken to get a calming potion," she told him.

"She hasn't had a panic attack has she?" Logan inquired, genuinely concerned. His ex-wife had always been very good at handling other people's maladies, but whenever her own life came crashing in she couldn't take it – which was one of the reasons she divorced him in the first place.

"No, but she was close to it," Lenore answered grimly. "Of course, it's understandable. Logan… I'm so sorry."

Logan couldn't help noticing how different Lenore acted now. He'd lived just down the road from the Lupins since she and her twin brother were seventeen. Standing now in this office, wearing Ministry robes, she seemed strangely matured and professional. She was still that very curious girl, but with heavier burdens that turned her inquisitive expression into one of watchfulness and temperance.

It made him wonder about the differences in his own little girl. How big had she gotten? The last time he had been allowed to see her she was only three years old. Now she was five and she was in the clutches of the Optimates… His breath caught when he realized he may never have a chance to see her again.

A sharp crack of a voice made him jump:

"Is the werewolf here yet?" demanded Ms. Yates from inside her office.

Lenore sighed crossly and moved around her desk to stand in her boss's doorway. "His name is Logan Bireley, and yes, he's here," she said, obviously offended by the werewolf comment. She looked to Logan and nodded for him to come inside.

3

"Send Mrs. Potter my best, Sir," said the night cashier at the only shop that was open that early in the morning and close to Harry's house. He was a regular there these days, what with Ginny sending him out to get something nearly every morning. It had been the same when she was pregnant with their daughter, Kyla – minus the curious cravings for dirt. Harry only wished he could get more than four hours of sleep every night before being woken up for an early food run.

It was nearly six now (he would normally wake up for work at seven) and it was time for caffeine. The place next door, _The Goblin Swill Café,_ had flipped their sign to the "Alas, We're Open!" side. Harry made a detour into the building for a cup of coffee.

He ordered his coffee from the hag-like person – possibly an old man – behind the counter. As he was digging the change out of his pocket there was a loud impact on the large front window.

Harry and the androgynous hag-person turned toward the commotion with raised eyebrows and saw an owl vigorously attacking the outside of the glass with wings and beak. Then it jetted upward out of sight.

"Right…" Harry said, handing his money over. He was just reaching for his coffee when there was another disturbance directly behind him. An empty cauldron clanged against the stone floor as a sizable poof of black soot emitted the madcap owl out of the fireplace in its haste to get inside. The mess of feathers and soot collided with the back of Harry's head.

"AARGH!"

The battle between Auror and owl ended in Harry holding the creature's talons together as it flapped frantically and he seized the letter. It was addressed to him, and written on the official stationary of the Ministry of Magic in Tonk's handwriting was and order and a home address.

"_Get here. Now,"_ was the most important line. He looked up at the hag-person, who was still holding out the cup of coffee, completely unphased by anything taking place in the café. "Keep it," Harry told him, grimacing. "I don't have time now."

He rushed for the door and let the owl go as soon as he was outside, then immediately Disapparated.

4

Leaving Lenore in the antechamber Logan entered the large office – which was quite a bit nicer than the few Ministry offices he'd ever been inside – and sat down before the bulky, dark-wood desk.

Lenore's fifty-something boss, Rhonwen Yates, sat in her oversized wingback chair, staring at him with a scowl that he later learned was perpetual and not a display of any personal dislike for him. She had a small mouth with thin lips and high cheekbones. As she regarded him her face was perfectly level; she didn't look down her nose, nor did she tilt her face down and peer upward at others. She glared straight at everyone she met.

He sat in one of the chairs before her desk and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, deepening the crow's-feet around them. Logan got the feeling she knew much more about him than he knew about her.

What he did know, he had heard from Remus: Rhonwen Yates was a very experienced investigator – one who would never become head of her department before retirement. She'd broken one too many rules. Though she was indeed very close to retirement, Yates refused to teach a class of future investigators because she claimed not to have a shred of tolerance for the "young brats." However, she was also known to change her mind for a good bargain – when Yates's eighth assistant had quit a year ago, Lenore struck a deal with the old bird. As long as Lenore would work for her for half a normal assistant's salary, Yates agreed to simultaneously train her as an investigator. What Remus told Logan was that in reality, Yates was ready to quit the Ministry, but not without leaving a legacy. Lenore was to be her replacement pending on her performance.

"Mr. Bireley," Yates said suddenly after a long moment of simply observing him, "someone from the extremist group known as the Optimates has kidnapped your daughter, Liberty. They entered, abducted the girl, and left at some point between nine p.m. and three a.m. this morning. Did you know anything about this prior to being summoned here?"

"No," Logan replied honestly, his stomach churning as he imagined his tiny child being abducted by a masked and hooded Optimus.

"Do you know why they would want to take your child in particular?"

"Look," he said, his tone openly irritated, "could you possibly tell me everything that's going on before you start your inquiry? I realize I'm only a worthless werewolf inside this office, but we're talking about my daughter."

The crow's-feet deepened further and so did the lines around her frowning mouth.

"Tell me what happened," he said, firmer than before.

She replied without apology: "Miss Kimber left for work last night, leaving Liberty in the care of a neighborhood sitter. The young woman said that she put Liberty to bed at nine o'clock, and then went downstairs. She remembers hearing a noise just after entering the living room, then she felt a great pain in her skull and remembered nothing until she woke up at three in the morning on the floor. She checked the entire house, but found no sign of Liberty. That's when she contacted us and we called your ex-wife.

"Evidence showed no forced entry into the house, and no invasive spells were used. Whoever took Liberty was either invited in, or was inside before the sitter arrived. The investigation is still going on at the Kimber residence to find out more, but all we have right now is a set of footprints." Here she paused and nodded to him once before saying, "That is everything so far, Mr. Bireley. It's your turn to tell me everything that you know."

Logan ran a hand through his hair and took a shuddering breath. He couldn't decide what he should feel first: the overwhelming fear for his baby, the fury at the Optimates, or the urge to rush to the sight of the kidnapping and take over the investigation himself. He also wasn't sure how much he should say to this annoying woman.

For the first time in his life, he wished Harry Potter was present.

5

"Harry!" came the stressed voice of Nymphadora Tonks when she spotted her colleague. The forty-five-year-old looked disheveled in her Ministry robes and her currently short bleach-blond hair was leaning to the right with severe bed-head. She had obviously been forced straight out of bed to get here. "Where have you been?" she demanded of him. "…And why do you have peanut butter and pickles?"

"Ginny," he explained distractedly.

"You're a mess," she added, eyeing the soot smeared around his face and clothing.

"You have a very enthusiastic owl. We had a disagreement." He peered at the crime scene and asked, "What's going on here?"

They were standing before a narrow two-story house, the garden of which was currently swamped by Ministry Law Enforcement.

Tonks took a heavy breath and shifted the files she was holding under her crossed arms before she answered him. "A five-year-old girl named Liberty Kimber was taken from this house somewhere between nine p.m. and three a.m. last night while her mother was at work. The sitter was the only other known person in the house – she was the one who called us."

She handed him an incomplete file, meaning she was giving him the case.

"Investigation is looking into this particular case," she continued. "They've already come and gone, but the crime scene is still fresh."

Harry jerked his head up from the file to look at Tonks. "You need me after Investigation is already looking into it?"

"You've got a bigger job, Harry," she informed him, handing him the other file in her hand. This one was much thicker and packed with handwritten notes. "You're taking over Crocker's old case."

His frown only deepened. Icarus Crocker had been arrested and placed in Azkaban months ago for betraying the Ministry by passing information to the Optimates. What had Crocker been working on?

He opened the file and saw a cluster of photographs on top of the cramped notes. Some of the photos were magical and moving, others where the stationary Muggle kind, but all of them were of children. He nudged a picture of a sulking teen over to get a better look at the notes. It was all about the disappearances of children in the last few years.

Harry got a cold feeling in his stomach. He tried in vain to keep Kyla from his mind – the last thing he wanted was to imagine her as one of these lost kids.

"I'm sorry, Harry," said Tonks, "but you're the only one who has enough time to take on this case. Kingsley told me to hold this one for you because he knew you would find that last group of Neos pretty quickly."

Harry scoffed. "Here I thought he was giving me a break with that last case. Turns out he was just hoping to pass on another one that nobody wanted." He sighed and closed the folder on the photos. He looked at his old friend darkly and shook the folder at her as he asked, "Why did you have to hand me my worst fear?"

Tonks stared at him hard for a moment. "Because," she said at last, "we know you'll face it. If anyone can get anywhere on this case, it'll be you. Crocker took a lot of notes, but he never got anything done – too busy being a rat to actually care what happened to these kids."

A pang of anger surged through Harry at the thought of Crocker ignoring – or worse endangering – the kids he was supposed to be saving.

"Anyway, Liberty Kimber needs to be added to that file," Tonks told him. "Take a good look at the scene. Apparently, it's a strange one – stranger than usual."

"Yeah. It would be…"

_(From Sunshine Dust: Happy Holidays everyone!)_


	4. Chapter 3 Doubt

_Chapter Three_

_Doubt_

1

Harry carefully stepped into the Kimber residence and tried to pay great attention to his surroundings. The first person to talk to him was Mak, who was also on the scene.

"Morning, Harry," he greeted soberly.

"Is it morning yet?" replied Harry. "I've barely slept enough to know. Can I offer you any peanut butter?" He held the jar toward his fellow Auror who shook his head.

"No, thank you."

"Pickles then?"

"Erm, no."

"Suit yourself." He gestured to the living room, "What do you have so far?"

Mak was miraculously alert and eager to share information, judging by how quickly he answered: "Well, there was no forced entry, magical or otherwise – that's the biggest concern at the moment, since it would mean the culprit was allowed in somehow. Whether he was let in by negligence or invitation, we can't tell, nor can we tell how long he was actually in the house."

"Are you sure it's a man," Harry asked.

"Pretty sure, because the foot prints match a male shoe." Mak lead him over to the living room. "But that's just my assumption – It could be a woman wearing a man's shoe."

There were other people, some from the Department of Investigation, taking photographs in the living room. The first thing Harry's eyes went to was the blood stain on the carpet. It wasn't large, but it was blood nonetheless. The next thing he noticed was that only one piece of furniture, a table beside the couch, was overturned. Other than those two things, and the clusters of Ministry workers, the room was completely in order.

"Whose blood is this," he inquired.

"The babysitter's," said Mak. "A young woman named Norma Rothgill."

"Was she struck?"

"She said that she wasn't. The blood was from her nose. We suspect that she hit it when she fell."

"If she wasn't struck, why did she fall?"

"She told us that she had just put the little girl to bed and walked back in here when she heard a sudden noise and felt a terrible pain in her head. The next thing she knew, she was waking up on the floor. Medi-wizards are looking into what caused the pain, so we'll know soon."

Harry peered around the room again, but didn't find what he was looking for. "Where's the print you mentioned?"

"Back in the hall," Mak instructed. Harry turned with him and they went to the base of the staircase. Mak pointed to a stair about half way up, marked by a hovering evidence symbol (a spell Investigations often used).

When they got closer, Harry bent very close to the mud print and examined it. He briefly scanned the rest of the stairs from where he stood and found the print was the only one. "This is it?"

"It's the only useful one. The few other clues we have are incomplete prints and some splatters of mud." He gestured to flecks of dried mud along the carpet a few steps up – they looked as though they had flown off of the intruder's shoes at a high speed. Harry followed a short trail of the smatters, and found that they continued going up the stairway for several more steps.

"Where are the incomplete prints?" Harry inquired, looking around.

"That is the other thing that worried me a bit," Mak told him, his tone darkening. "The prints are quite far apart. Inhumanly so, if you ask me. I don't think most animals could jump as far."

Harry's frown deepened. A number of semi-human beings came to his mind, but when Mak walked up the second half of the stairs and stopped three feet from the landing, the possibilities narrowed. Harry followed him up and examined the incomplete footprint – only the toe of the shoe was visible.

"There are others leading to the girl's bedroom," Mak said. "All of them are incomplete, like this one, and each one is very, very far apart."

"So it was someone who could leap very far at considerable speed, judging by the mud splatters," Harry concluded. "Where did he go after he got hold of Liberty?"

Mak pointed to the railing on the landing that looked over the foyer below. There was another evidence marker, like the print on the steps, and it hovered over a smear of caked mud on the varnished wood of the rail.

"The cheeky tosser leapt off there to the first floor and went straight out of the front door."

"Cheeky indeed…"

"There is a total of eight strides as far as Investigation can tell. That's eight steps to the fifty-something it would take a normal human doing the same at a full run."

"He's definitely not human then," Harry agreed. "You said there was no forced entry?"

"That's right."

"… Sounds like a vampire."

2

Logan walked out of Yates's office and found that Lenore was not alone in the waiting room.

Betrys had returned. Her hair – as perfect as he'd always remembered it – hung around her face as she leaned forward in her seat. A blue vial of some sort of calming potion was in her hand, already half drained. She looked up when he entered.

"Logan…" she breathed, obviously exhausted and just as distraught as he was.

"I need to discuss something with Miss Yates," Lenore said, excusing herself and closing the door to Yates's office behind her to give them more privacy.

Logan pulled Lenore's desk chair over to his ex-wife and sat down next to her. As soon as he did, she started gushing barely coherent sentences and more tears.

"So sorry… I'm just so… so… ashamed. How could I let this happen? If I hadn't taken the job, I would've been there. She would still-"

"Betrys, shut up."

She stared at him, startled. "Logan…"

"It's not your fault, alright?" he told her in a kinder tone. "There was no possible way you could have foreseen something like this. You can't blame yourself. We just… we just need to get her back now, and that's what we should be focusing on."

She studied him closely for a moment, trying to read him like she used to. '_Sorry, sweetheart_,' he thought to himself, '_I'm not as transparent anymore. I'm not the same man you left_.'

Indeed, he wasn't. Before, when he and Betrys were still together, Logan had been outgoing and open. If they had been in this situation four years ago, he would have wrapped his arms around her, would've done everything possible to make her feel better. However, apart from the fact that he liked her much less now, hugging her would be out of the question. They were strangers, and Logan no longer gave strangers the benefit of the doubt.

Everything had changed with the werewolf bite – the scar of which still stood out grotesquely on his left shoulder despite being four years old. Before that bloody bite he had a real life and confidence while he had lived it. Back then he certainly would not have let that cow, Yates, speak to him the way she did. But being rejected and stepped on by your loved ones and most of society tended to have a sedating effect on your vigor for life.

"God, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" Betrys said finally, more sadness filling her eyes.

"Yes," he replied simply.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, trying not to sob again. "I want to do something, but I don't think I'd be any use to the Ministry…"

He had to look away from her or he would break down as well. At that moment he too was desperately trying to come up with a way to help the Ministry find Liberty. He couldn't loose it now, not yet. He needed to get away from Betrys.

He stood suddenly and she looked up at him in surprise. "I have to call someone," he told her, and he walked out of the room, leaving her alone and sniffling.

It was time to make some plans. If he didn't get to work immediately, there would be room for doubts to fill his mind and he'd be of no more help than Betrys was at the moment.

3

Harry had to bang several times on the door of Agape's small rented house. Finally, he heard shuffling inside and the sound of the peep-hole sliding open to check who he was. When a series of locks were turned, slid, and released, the door opened and a disheveled Agape appeared, squinting against the morning sun.

"Oh no," she groaned, "Am I working today? I thought it was my day off."

"Huh! Enjoy those while you get them," Harry told her. "Sorry to wake you so early, but I needed to talk to you about a little problem."

"Whatever it is, can you talk to me inside? The sun's killing my eyes," she muttered, still bleary from sleep.

"Of course – sorry."

She stepped back into the shade of her living room and Harry followed her inside. Under normal circumstances there would be a lot of light coming in from the windows in this east-facing room, not thick blinds that made the space small and cave-like. However, six months ago, Agape had gotten into some trouble with the Neo Death Eaters and ended up becoming their lab rat. The experimental potions and magic they used on her were intended to make a person's eyes see perfectly in all surroundings and all variations of light. With each of these various spells, if the test subject lived, the magic was worth perfecting, if it worked like it was supposed to without any horrendous side effects, it would be used to increase the number of members in a group the Optimates called the Militis Optime – their improved soldiers, for lack of a better description.

Well, the spell used on Agape, obviously did not kill her, but neither did it work the way it should have. She could now see perfectly in the dark – and through smoke as they found out when there was a small fire in the coffee lounge at Headquarters – but direct sunlight and all bright lights caused her eyes great pain. She had to wear dark sunglasses whenever she left the house, no matter how overcast the skies were. Now she was even covering all of her windows, blocking the only charm her shabby little cottage had: her view of the hills and trees from the east windows.

Agape closed the door behind her and seemed much more comfortable now that the sun had been banished from view. She turned to face Harry and his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, her familiar features came into focus: her mane of elbow-length black hair, her tall, sturdy frame, and her pretty (currently sleepy) face.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" she inquired as she made her way to her couch and he sat down in an arm chair.

He handed her a folder, much like Tonks had done to him earlier that morning. She took it and flipped it open, able to read everything it said without a problem in the darkness.

"I can't go see them today," Harry said, referring to the people featured in the file she was flipping through.

"The Blood Traitors? How come?" she asked.

The Blood Traitors were a group of vigilante Neo Death Eater fighters. All of their lives had been turned upside down by the Optimates and they had taken it upon themselves to "do the things the Ministry couldn't" – at least that's how they put it. Months ago, Harry was given a case to stop their dangerous and bothersome antics and find out more about them. It turned out hardly any of them were over thirty and half of them were on the run from either the Optimates or the Ministry. However, after they helped save his wife and Agape from certain death, he realized they were worth more than he'd first given them credit for. As a fellow vigilante in the Order of the Phoenix, he let them continue fighting evil under his supervision.

"I can't see them because…" Harry paused for a moment, wondering if this was the best decision. "Because Tonks gave me a new case early this morning," he said finally. "It's going to be hard to keep an eye on the Blood Traitors while I'm distracted, so I wondered if you could help me by checking up on them later today."

She stared blankly at him for a few moments as if she was unsure of something, so he added with a grin: "They're expecting me, which means they'll be pleasantly surprised to see you instead."

"Are you sure?" said Agape suddenly.

"Well, I assumed they liked you a great deal – but I suppose they'd like anyone more than me."

She hurriedly waved off his comment. "No, I'd love to go see them for you, but… Are you giving _me_ this file – as in handing the BT over to me?"

He raised his eyebrows at her and nodded, wondering why she even needed to ask.

"But I'm not even out of training yet!" she exclaimed.

Harry was confused. Why was she acting this way?

"I thought you'd like to get a head start. They're not that hard to handle when nothing's happening in the underground – and I figured you felt a bit more confident after that arrest yesterday."

She bit her lower lip and frowned at her lap before she finally decided to ask what she was thinking and looked him in the eye. "Do you think I'm ready, Harry?"

"To watch the Blood Traitors? Look, if they start acting up, I'll be there in a heart bea- "

"Not that. I mean, do you think I'm ready to be an Auror?"

He hesitated, honestly taken aback by her question. Of course she wasn't ready! But it wasn't that she wasn't capable – only that she wasn't prepared enough yet.

"Agape," he said in a tone was firm and serious. "You need much more training before you can become an Auror – you know that. Even though you did very well yesterday with the Optimates, I don't expect you to be ready to take the entire underground on tomorrow. No one in your class could do that, but one day you'll get there, and then it's up to you to decide whether or not you're ready."

Agape nodded, but her confidence did not seem to improve much.

"Are you okay?"

"What is your new case on?" she asked quickly, cutting him off.

The Auror sighed and leaned back in the arm chair, looking into the file Tonks had given him as he answered. "I'm investigating missing children."

There was a heavy silence that lasted several seconds.

"That sounds really tough, Harry," Agape acknowledged finally.

"I've handled tough before. I just hope I can make even a small difference in finding theses kids. It was Crocker's file last," he explained when she gave him a strange look.

"I see. That tosser probably kidnapped them himself and handed them to the Neos," she muttered viciously. Everyone at Headquarters despised Crocker with a deep passion. "Can I see the file," she asked.

Harry handed it to her and she looked at the faces in the photographs on top of the profiles. She shuffled through them several times and picked some up to look closer at the young faces. When she held up one that was torn in half her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Jules! Harry, look at this picture!"

He leaned forward as she held it out. Even in the dark light, he cold tell she was right. Julissa Culver, the leader of the Blood Traitors, was staring back at him moodily, the only one visible in what used to be a group photo. She looked much younger, maybe fifteen or so, and she was wearing black clothes and dreadlocks with kohl smeared around her cold, piercing eyes.

Harry suddenly felt another surge of contempt for Icarus Crocker. "Maybe she wouldn't be in the mess she's in now if someone had cared enough to find her," he seethed. "Her file will be complicated to update, what with her being 'dead' and all."

He pointed to another photo of a little girl that she held in her other hand.

"She's the newest addition," he told her. "I just came from the scene of her kidnapping. She's a five-year-old named Liberty Kimber. I think a vampire took her… which reminds me." Digging beneath the peanut butter jar that was still in his pocket, he pulled out a letter he'd written before coming and held it out to her. "This is for Jules when you see her today. Maybe the Blood Traitors can make themselves useful by looking into any vampires that might do business with the Optimates."

4

Meanwhile, in a basement far away from Harry and Agape, the Blood Traitors had begun to gather. Alton and their telephone operator, Celeste Haywood, had managed to contact nearly everyone, with the exception of Logan, who was still at the Ministry, and two very important people.

"AUGH!" bellowed twenty-one-year-old Celeste as she tore an earpiece from her left ear and tossed it onto her desktop. She whirled in her swivel chair to face Alton Drake, who was pacing in a circle behind her with a mobile phone to his own ear.

"I thought you made it clear to them that they have to actually turn their mobiles _on_ for them to work," she snapped at him. "I realize, being one of the only non-magic people here, that my knowledge of normal technology is a little greater – but is it really that difficult?"

Muggle-born Alton stopped pacing to shake his head in shared frustration. "Well, notice that the only ones we can't get on the line are Pure-bloods."

"But they're also our two leaders, Alton! They need to be here!" Celeste cried. "Liberty is in trouble right now, and they're nowhere to be found!"

"Call Roman again," he commanded as he redialed Jules's number.

Celeste shoved the earpiece back into place and clicked a few keys on her keyboard. Both of them were quiet for a moment as they waited for someone to answer the rings.

Without warning, Celeste cried, "Roman! It's about bloody time, you wanker! Where've you been?"

Still having no luck with Jules, Alton flipped his mobile shut and strained to hear Roman's reply, but all he could get out of the noise was that their friend was not happy.

"Don't get those Italian knickers in a wad!" Celeste shouted indignantly. "We have an emergency… Logan's daughter has been kidnapped by the Neos. We need you here no- "

A gasp of deep insult escaped her lips and her face jerked in Alton's direction. "He hung up on me!" she squawked.

"Well? Is he coming?" Alton demanded.

"I have no idea – he just hung up."

Alton's mobile rang to the tune of _Werewolves of London_, and he answered it immediately:

"Logan? What did they tell you?"

"Just some basic information," Logan said in a tired, downtrodden voice. "Yates mainly wanted to question me. You know, since I'm a werewolf I must be evil, thus a prime suspect."

"Of course," Alton said sarcastically, "that's a given."

"I'm on my way to the basement now," Logan continued. "I want to make a plan as soon as possible."

"Ah, yeah. About making a- "

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Then Logan hung up.

"-plan…" With a dramatic gasp of his own aimed at Celeste, Alton cried: "He hung up on me!"

Celeste was not amused. However, his joke gave away how nervous he actually was. With Jules and Roman missing in action, Alton – the third in command – was in charge.

_(There it is, friends and neighbores! May it bring you one step closer to action, explosions, and probable gore!)_


	5. Chapter 4 The Blood Traitors

Chapter Four

The Blood Traitors

1

It wasn't long before Agape used the Floo network to transport herself to the large home of Kermit and Melencolia Snook – and hiding place of the Blood Traitors.

The large living room of the Snook residence was gloomy, all its grandeur done no justice by the hazy light creeping placidly through the drapes covering the tall windows. However, as Agape stepped out of the fireplace, her highly acute eyes could see every intricate detail of the fine room – including the ancient old man wearing a maroon day robe lined with a layer of short black fur. He was sleeping, or so it seemed, in a wingback chair with his left hand loosely grasping the silver head of a sleek mahogany cane.

"Good day, Mr. Snook," Agape said after stepping directly in front of him. She knew the ninety-three-year-old wasn't asleep; he just didn't want to be bothered by company. "I believe I'm expected."

"Expected to what, Agape?" croaked the old man, his keen green eyes snapping open to observe her.

"Expected to speak with the little group you've hidden in your basement," she replied, grinning at him. "Am I allowed to pass, old Gatekeeper? Not that you could stop me," she added.

She dodged a swipe from his cane and chuckled.

"Kermit," called a reproachful yet bored voice from the hall, "don't assault houseguests. I thought we talked about this when you boxed Alton's ears." It was the mistress of the house, Melencolia Snook. Though also in her nineties, she was just as straight-backed and dignified as she would have been at thirty.

"He deserved it," Kermit muttered to Agape.

"Hello, Mrs. Snook," Agape said politely, even as she gave the old man a wink.

Being one of the few allowed to enter the highly secretive Snook house besides the Blood Traitors, Melencolia had a pleasant smile for her. This was a real complement coming from the old woman. She wasn't prudish in any way but she wasn't overly friendly – or gracious to tell the truth – a trait that often reminded Agape of one of those tales about ancient women war generals: coarse and proud.

"Harry sent me over," she told the two of them. "He couldn't make it today – trouble at work, unfortunately."

"Pitty," Melencolia said, sounding genuinely disappointed. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you," Agape answered. She felt she needed some form of caffeine before looking in on the Blood Traitors.

"They're all in the basement. I'll have Cody bring you a pot as soon as it's ready."

Then she turned from the room, her lengthy green robes swinging around her ankles, and moved down the hall toward the kitchen, dispassionately calling, "Come, Cody." A house elf skittered past the doorway from the other end of the hall to follow Mrs. Snook.

Agape saw that Mr. Snook had truly fallen asleep this time, so she quietly left him and headed for the basement.

As no sounds could get through the basement door, she couldn't hear the commotion inside until someone replied to her knock.

"Oh. Hello Agape," said a small girl named Sydney Ingram, who had poked her head out of the door.

Sydney, or Syd, was a French born, yet half British raised seventeen-year-old who had been turned into a werewolf three years ago and later dropped out of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in her sixth year. She'd joined the Blood Traitors when she was only sixteen.

"Hello, Sydney," Agape said to her. "Could you let me in?"

The girl frowned briefly, though she didn't hesitate to open the door. "Enter at your own risk," she said, her small voice rather bitten. "They're going crazy right now."

Agape slid past her and descended the stairs into a growing flurry of raised voices. Once her heels hit the cement floor she could clearly see the work place of the Blood Traitors. It was a long room roughly the size of a large classroom with five desks of varying sizes configured in a U-shape and an enormous oval table in the very back. Each of the desks was cluttered with some type of equipment or another: personal computers, laptops, a couple of mobile phones, a sneakoscope, scattered pens and paper, a random pare of socks – one desk even had a carburetor on it. Always wanting to utilize both magic and Muggle technology, the lair was full of non-magic items laced with all kinds of spells.

Only two people were bustling around these desks, dodging swivel chairs, while others were clustered in small groups around the room speaking loudly or going over pages of parchment. Their conversations melded together, making it impossible to focus on one alone.

Agape wondered what had gotten them into such an uproar – obviously, something big. '_Of all the visits for Harry to be gone…_'

"Where's Harry," Syd inquired curiously from behind, apparently thinking along the same line.

"He couldn't make it," Agape answered distractedly.

"Too bad – maybe he could save the day," said Sydney.

Agape grinned over her shoulder at the girl. "Never thought I'd hear that coming from a Blood Traitor's lips."

A sudden spike in the shouting pulled her back to the others. Several of them were now yelling across the basement, asking for things or just fighting. Agape could hear shouts of "This computer is a piece of sh- " cut off by, "We can't do that! It's dark magic!" or "Alton, can you please do something?"

This question was answered by an irritated male voice: "How 'bout I sit here and talk while you ignore everything I say? You seem to be fond of that. See? I already am, and you're already not paying attention."

Agape could finally see the red-haired man through the crowd of Blood Traitors milling around. He looked as if he were being forced to baby sit twelve preschoolers.

"I'm not sure Alton is taking to being in charge," Sydney stated, with a frown.

"It wouldn't appear so, would it?" Agape agreed. "Where are Jules and Roman?"

Sydney shrugged and gave a look that told Agape that was exactly why everything was so chaotic. Then the girl walked away to be of use somewhere.

Agape found herself standing beside Payton Fenton, who was sitting with her legs drawn up to her chest in a chair near the stairs. They gave each other polite smiles.

"How are you?" Agape asked.

Payton's grimace said everything that her mouth couldn't.

Harry's file on Payton was rather incomplete, but Agape had learned about her last year during her short stay at the Snook home. A few years ago Payton had been kidnapped by the Welsh Optimates group and made into a pet for their leader. They shaved her head, wiped her memory and removed her vocal cords magically. She was then tortured until her mentality resembled that of a dog. She was not the only one the Neos had done this to, but she was the only one found alive.

Because rescuing prisoners of the Optimates seemed to be a Blood Traitor specialty, Payton ended up with them as well. With their help, she was slowly managing to come out of her tortured state of mind and learn Sign language to communicate. Her black hair was growing back and was still quite short, but at least it resembled a real haircut now.

Alton especially had taken an instant interest in her – having been used as a lab rat himself by the Optimates. He had been a captive for a month and the experiments they'd used on him had landed him with fire breathing powers which forced him to wear a mask almost constantly. He'd eagerly learned to Sign with Payton so they could always talk – which, Agape noticed, they did quite often.

Agape looked around again, this time counting heads and finding nearly everyone present.

She noticed that Syndey had gone to examine a computer with Celeste Haywood, who was, in a way, the group's technical support. Being a Muggle, she was usually very good with the computers and phones that Alton had rigged with magic, but she was currently having problems with a frozen computer screen.

Celeste didn't have her normal weighty amount of eye makeup on – she probably hadn't had time – but, as always, her long mousy brown hair was pulled into a loose bun that was little more than a malformed loop. Like Sydney, she had been bitten by a werewolf at a young age – seventeen. As the only currently living Muggle werewolf, Celeste had had it equally bad, if not worse than her younger friend. In fact, after Remus Lupin (Head of the Werewolf Registration Office) first revealed the magical world to her and her parents, he had recommended to them a sort of support group for werewolves. That was where she'd met and bonded closely with Sydney and Logan.

The werewolves were not the only semi-humans in the group either. Agape peered around the room again and found the two vampire members: Imogene Fahy and Yvette Montalais. Both blond and both beautiful even in their pallid emaciation.

Imogene was imperially perched on the edge of the large oval table in the back of the room, running her fingers through her pale thigh-length hair while several Traitors argued over Alton's head. She was one of the few placid people in the basement; never one to get flustered or hurried. Imogene, or Ima for short, had been in Albus Dumbledore's class at Hogwarts, making her one-hundred-seventy-four years old. Agape hoped she still looked like a twenty-seven-year-old when she got to that age too.

Yvette was the flashier of the two. She was actually the same age as Agape (just two years shy of thirty) but would forever look like a seventeen-year-old. If she had made some better choices while alive, Yvette could have been a super model (a fact Agape was uncomfortably aware of when they stood in the same room). She wore sexy Parisian clothes over her tall, long limbed body and her golden hair hung immaculately around her bare shoulders. One thing that consoled the Auror-in-training was that Yvette had been a rubbish witch when she was alive. She claimed Imogene had saved her "life" when she made her a vampire, and the two had been inseparable since then.

At the moment, Yvette was having a row with Augustus Schmitt, the only Blood Traitor who worked in the Ministry. Gus was quite tall and lanky, with rust-colored hair, no chin, and a large nose that supported square-shaped glasses. Born to a well-off old pure-blood family, he didn't have the tragic life story that came with most of the Traitors. He had actually liked his semi-exciting work-filled life as assistant to the Head of Investigations. However, once Roman crossed over to the light side, the only Ministry worker he would give information to was Gus – making the rather nervous fellow's life much more chaotic than he'd ever planned. Now, nearly ten years later, he was one of the five original Blood Traitors and the only one who always kept the law in mind.

"I just can't see why this is- is so hard to understand, Yvette," he was now saying, his face flushed from trying to hold back his temper. "What you're talking about is illegal on so many levels it – well, it would guarantee us all cells in Azkaban!"

"An excellent point," Atlon added half-heartedly between them. He was sitting in a chair as they argued above his messy unnaturally colored hair.

"Ha! They wouldn't be able to lay their prudish Brit hands on me – they never have," Yvette declared, her French-ness suddenly much more prominent than before.

"Someone's arrogant," Alton commented, knowing quite well that no one was listening.

"What do you think Aurors are for? And what about the Registration office?" Gus snapped, loosing his patience with her. "I could arrest you myself!"

"You tell her, Gussy. Sic her! Show her who's boss!"

"Don't call me Gussy, Alton."

"Oh, now you're listening."

"Alton," said the voice of Logan Bireley, and Alton spun around in his chair to face him. "Is there anyone else who would help us? Who else do we know in the Ministry?"

Alton's annoyed visage melted into something like concern as his thin, but expressive eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Celeste and I are going to talk to as many people as we can, mate. She's looking up some people right now."

Logan nodded and let out a heavy breath as he ran his fingers through his messy brunet hair. Agape noticed that the stubble on his square jaw was a bit longer than usual and his skin was a little paler.

In most of the Blood Traitor files, Harry had written notes on each individual. Agape recalled that he had labeled thirty-three-year-old Logan as the unofficial leader of the BT werewolves, but had concluded that he held no other discernable title within the group. She thought this rather odd as he was one of the founding members, but chalked it up to his docile character.

"You said Harry was coming today?" Logan asked Alton as Yvette and Gus moved their fight over to the large oval table.

"Yeah. I hope he gets here soon, because we could really use his help," said Alton.

Agape had walked over by that point and her eyebrows rose as she heard his confession. "Wow," she said. "You're the second person to say that since I came down here. Harry is going to get a big head after I tell him how much you don't hate him."

Alton's narrow eyes widened with sudden hope and relief at the sight of the Ministry worker. "Merlin's beard, I'm glad you're here! Where's Potter?"

Logan looked at her expectantly as well.

"He's handling a new case," Agape told them. "What's going on here? I haven't seen you all so riled up since the _Daily Prophet_ printed that article about you being possible murderers."

"My daughter," Logan answered immediately, "she's been kidnapped."

Agape's mouth dropped open. "Another child?"

"What?"

"Harry's newest case is finding missing kids," she explained. "He was at a kidnapping scene just this morning."

"Liberty Kimber, right? She's my daughter!" Logan rushed over to her and grabbed her arm, looking stricken. "Does he know anything yet? Is he already searching?"

Agape couldn't believe it. No wonder the Blood Traitors were going mad. "Logan, I'm so sorry. If I had known… I thought your daughter's name was Bireley, like you," she said.

"No, her mother changed her name," he replied dismissively. "Please tell me Harry is trying to find her."

"Of course he is," she assured him, placing a hand on his, which was gripping her arm like a vise. He loosened his grasp, but his surprising change in demeanor demanded more of a response from her. "That's why he couldn't come today – he's working as fast as he can to get her back before something bad…" And then she didn't know how to finish. She wanted that anxious expression on Logan's face to be soothed, but she didn't know how to do it, so she closed her mouth.

He looked severely disappointed as he released her arm. "I knew I should have stayed at the Ministry longer," he muttered to Alton.

"You can go back if you want," Alton told him, "Gus would probably go with you."

"Oy! Alt, your stupid computer is still-"

"Later, Celeste," Alton growled loudly, his impatience now returning full force. "Maybe if you stopped calling it a piece of sh-"

Syd suddenly shouted, "Roman's here!"

All conversations paused as everyone looked up at the tall, black haired man coming down the stairs.

Logan was the first to take action. In barely a second, he was already across the basement and standing at the foot of the steps.

"Logan," Roman said to his friend as he reached him – but he never finished his sentence.

"Where is she?" Logan demanded.

Roman's frown deepened at the man's threatening tone. "I don't know," he admitted.

"You're supposed to know everything about them! How could you not have known this was going to happen? _Tell me where my daughter is_!"

"I don't know," Roman said again flatly, staring at Logan as if he had never truly seen him before.

"THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU!" Logan shouted.

"Logan!" said Alton in surprise.

Roman's stony face was tense. He seemed to be waiting for some greater show of fury, as if he expected Logan to throw a punch at him. The entire basement stopped moving and waited as well, like an edgy herd of deer anticipating a predator's pounce.

"Merlin's beard," sighed Alton. "I'll be glad to see Jules back."

"Logan," Gus stammered, "Roman had nothing to do with this. It's not his fault."

"Like hell," Logan bit viciously. "How can one of Odin's favorite henchmen not know what's going on in the underworld?"

Roman regarded him darkly. "I seem to have fallen out of grace recently," he answered. "That tends to happen when you fail every mission you're sent on."

"Well," Logan said, "what do you say, Luciano? Any plan of action for your _team_?"

It was a challenge plain and simple. Agape just couldn't wrap her brain around how uncharacteristically hostile Logan was acting. Of course, he had every right to feel the way he did – he was desperate. Who knew what the Optimates might be planning for his little girl?

"Do _you_?" Roman asked evenly.

Logan really did look as though he might hit Roman then. Instead he remained rooted rigidly to the spot with no answer to the question.

Roman gestured to the big oval table in the back of the basement. "Everyone sit down. We need to figure out what we're going to do."

The Blood Traitors, Logan included, did as he said and headed to the table.

As a future Auror, Agape could see that all of this chaos was merely demonstrating how inexperienced they were as a unit. Harry would be very smug were he present; they were proving that he had been right all along. Not that Harry thought they were total rubbish; he simply didn't like how arrogant the amateur group was about their talent. Half the time, they rushed headlong into dangerous situations thinking they could take on just about anything and survive. Agape reckoned they didn't think it could get much worse than what most of them had already been through, so it flustered them when things went downhill.

Agape followed the group and sat down at the table as well. Only ten of the working Traitors were there, missing their leader Julissa, and the only member still in school at the time. There was a large pot of tea in the center of the table and cups for each of them including Agape. Apparently Mrs. Snook's house elf, Cody, had delivered it while they were distracted. No one took any and the pot remained untouched throughout the conference.

Roman didn't sit, choosing to stand behind his chair instead. Agape recalled his file very clearly in her memory. He was twenty-nine-years-old, Pure-blood, born in Italy and schooled in France. He ended up involved in a very powerful group of Optimates as soon as he moved to Britain at nineteen. There were things that he'd seen, crimes he'd committed that he still refused to talk about. Wanting to mend his mistakes, he came in contact with Gus and started passing information on the Optimates for the Ministry to use. Like Alton and Logan, Roman helped to form the Blood Traitors.

Harry had made a few notes about him on his file: _Deep inside the Optimates; very talented; speaks five languages fluently; dangerous. _

Agape had frowned at this view of a man who once saved her life. She knew that Roman was double crossing the Neos, but she'd never gotten the impression that he was dangerous – despite his criminal record.

"I do have something useful," the Italian said finally, glancing at Logan once before continuing. "A courier came to Odin yesterday morning. She gave him a note that I managed to salvage." He took a small folded piece of parchment out of his pocket and tossed it to Logan first.

Logan grimly opened it and read aloud:

"_Dearest friend, _

"_I would thank you for the use of N.Q. this evening before sundown. I will brief him myself on his job at our client's home. _

_-Your grateful comrade" _

Once he had finished, Alton took the letter from his hand and looked it over for himself as Roman continued.

"I don't know who N.Q. is, but I've seen the initials before. He's an Optimus without a code name. The 'client' is obviously Liberty Kimber – client is a Neo word for victim," he explained to Agape.

"Who wrote the note?" inquired a blond man named Ferris Thorpe, another original BT. He had joined because he had been attacked several times (once at Hogwarts) for being the son of the only Muggle to fight alongside his witch wife in the magic war against Voldemort – that, and because his leader, Julissa Culver, was also his girl friend. He was the group's makeshift medi-wizard. Harry seemed to hold a great respect for Ferris, saying that he was probably the most rational and thus most overlooked member.

"Morrigan wrote it," Roman answered him.

Payton shifted uncomfortably in her chair. At first Agape racked her brain to remember who the name belonged to; it then dawned on her from Payton's reaction that Morrigan was the one who'd muted the short-haired woman and kept her as a pet. She was also one of the seven leading Optimates, a queen of the underground in Wales.

"So why would Morrigan want Logan's daughter in particular?" Ferris asked. "Why no one else?"

"There may be many more," Agape interjected. "Harry seems to think these other disappearances are related to the Otimates as well. He wanted to know about vampires associated with the Neos because of Liberty's kidnapping." She suddenly remembered the note in her pocket that the Auror had given to her and handed it to Roman. "This is from him for Jules."

Roman regarded the sealed message briefly before nodding and pocketing it.

"Well, Potter is right," he admitted. "Only it looks like Liberty is being used as an example to threaten Logan and the rest of us."

"It's because we're the only group who successfully infiltrated Morrigan's little Welsh hidey-hole," Alton added, his humorless smirk obvious even beneath the dragon skin mask covering his mouth.

"What do you mean by threat? Like a hostage?" said Sydney.

"No," Roman told her bleakly, "she won't be used as a hostage."

"Great," Celeste groaned. "Not only is Odin after us, now his 'Dearest friend' the psycho-cow, is going after children."

Logan pressed on, ignoring the others' comments. "How do we get Liberty back? What options do we have?"

"First we have to find her," Roman told him, then he turned to Payton. "She's probably not where we found you, Payton, but if she is anywhere in that place we'll certainly need your help."

Payton nodded forlornly. Agape saw the color drain from Logan's face at the thought of his little girl in Morrigan's clutches.

"I do have one idea," Roman continued, "I'd have to go underground for a day or two, but-"

"A day or two?" Logan interrupted in horror.

"What!" said Alton at the same time. "We can't have both you _and_ Jules underground at a time like this! Are you barmy?"

"It's the only thing I can think of," Roman snapped at them, his normally calm features strained with frustration. "If I can talk to some people I know, I can find the courier who passed the communications for this mission and she may be able to lead me to Liberty. And if not her, then someone else she knows who can."

"What makes you think she'll help you?" Gus pointed out.

"I'm bloody Odin's right hand. I outrank a _courier_, for Merlin's sake. She has to do what I say." He paused and took a deep breath, bracing his hands on the back of his chair. "Look, with our brilliant leader currently MIA, I'm doing the only thing I know of that might help. Liberty will not be the last one they take, so we have to get her safely back and put a stop to this before it gets too big for us. No sacrifice is too great – do everything you can," Roman told them.

"You heard Optimus Prime, everyone," Alton said from his chair, earning a glare from Roman. "No sacrifice is too great for freedom, so let's get to work. Ferris, keep trying Jules, maybe she'll pick up now. Imogene maybe you and Yvette can look into the vampire Optimates thing. And Celeste, could you get me our files on Morrigan's fortress just in case it turns out useful?"

The Blood Traitors rose from the table and scattered in different directions around the basement. Roman placed a hand on Alton's shoulder to stop him walking away as he told Gus to get back to the Ministry to find out their plan of action. Once Gus left, Roman turned on Alt.

"Who the hell is Optimus Prime?"

Alton raised an eyebrow at him, straining not to smirk too obviously. "You are," he said cautiously.

A folder was pressed into his chest by Celeste, who added flatly: "It's nerdy Muggle humor. Here's the folder you wanted, Alt."

Roman rolled is eyes and walked away as the shorter man took the folder, grinning slightly at Celeste. "If you knew what I was talking about, that makes you a nerd too," he pointed out.

"You think Roman is really going to be gone for days?" the plump woman inquired, ignoring his bait.

"Not if we can think of a better idea," Alt responded as Agape passed them and put a hand on Roman's shoulder.

His handsome olive skinned face turned toward her and she could see plainly for the first time since he'd arrived that he was very tired. "You know, what you said before – about this being too big for you," she reminded him. "Maybe it already is. Don't you think the Ministry might have a better idea on how to handle this?"

He leaned close to her and said determinedly: "I can't do _nothing_ while the Ministry figures out what they want to do. I have the means to find her, and I will."

"By yourself?"

"What other choice do I have? Until we find out where she is, none of the others can help me." He swiftly moved away from her and climbed the stairs.

"What about Jules?" Agape offered, but he ignored her and only seemed more determined to get out of the basement.

"Hang on," Agape heard Alton say as he suddenly sprinted up the stairs after his fellow Blood Traitor. She followed, hoping she would be able to convince Roman to get more help before he disappeared into the underground.

Once on the first floor, Alton cried out again, "Oy! Wait!"

Roman, however, continued to walk away, ignoring his friend and aiming for the back door through the kitchen. Suddenly, Alton surged forward and caught hold of his arm.

"Wait a second," he begged hoarsely. "You can't just slink off. We need to get moving. Now."

"What do you think I'm doing," Roman barked back furiously, towering over the shorter man as he yanked his arm back and opened the door. Just before stepping out, Alt's desperate outburst stopped him in the doorway:

"_You're _supposed to be running this group, not me!"

He didn't look back at Alton, but his shoulders slumped tiredly as he stood framed in by the broad timber of the doorway. "I can't be in two places at once."

"First Jules," Alton muttered, "now you too. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"You've lead them before," Roman sighed.

Atlon rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Never on my own, though. If I'd known you'd be leaving so soon, I would've come up with some sort of plan."

"Alt…"

"Whatever, mate… I'll think of something. All I'm asking for is a bit of warning before you screw me over next time." He said it with an awkward laugh in his voice, but there was blatant bitterness there.

Roman finally left the doorway, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be back very soon." Then he was gone.

Alton turned on his heel but stopped when he saw Agape standing there. "Oh… er… hello." He cleared his throat and a bit of smoke curled upward from the top of his mask.

"Alton," she said hesitantly. "Should I call Harry?"

He chuckled, "Why? You think he'd be willing to put me out of my misery? By all means, yes!"

2

Later at the Ministry, Agape found Harry in his office swamped in papers. She explained the Blood Traitor situation.

"Hmm. So basically they fall apart without Culver, huh?" said Harry mater-of-factly. "I had a feeling she was the only glue of the group."

"Well, sort of," Agape agreed. "They _are_ unorganized without her and Roman, but I think Alton can pull them together with a bit of help. He doesn't realize he's the heart of the Blood Traitors."

"Drake is in charge? Oh, God help us."

"Harry," she scolded. "He's plenty capable – and he is one most willing to let you help."

"We are talking about Drake, right – the one who punched me in the face last December?"

"Harry," repeated, rolling her eyes. "After what you did to him, I'd say you're quite even."

"Didn't these people hate me just last week because I don't let them get away with everything?"

"They've never hated you," ("Don't make me laugh!") "They just see you as the 'Man'. You know how touchy they are about the government. And I'll remind you that it was Alton who protected both Ginny and me last December."

"Yeah, and we see how well that turned out."

"Stop being a git."

"Okay," Harry admitted, "you're right. I should give the bloke more credit."

"Yes, you should."

"So what do they need?"

Agape thought for a moment. What she wanted to say sounded painfully like an after-school special, but she said it anyway: "They need some support from someone with much more experience. You've been a vigilante in the Order for longer than you've been an Auror and you have knowledge of the case. Just include them."

Harry paused, thinking over what she'd said. "I suppose they could help me as well. I'll need all the facts I can get on the Neos for this one and no one knows them as well as the Blood Traitors."

Agape smiled hugely, finally feeling she had done some good. "Brilliant! So, how is the case coming?"

"I've been going through this bloody file all day," he said wearily, "just trying to update it. Take a look at these photographs." He rummaged underneath a stack of loose parchment and found three pictures which he passed to her over his desk.

Along with Jules's there were now three more photos that were very familiar to Agape. One was of Yvette sitting on a couch in a dingy room; she looked blankly over her shoulder with empty eyes hooded in black eye makeup. It was obvious she wasn't a vampire at the time the photo was taken, but she looked drugged out and far too skinny.

Harry reached out and tapped the picture with his forefinger. "That was taken when she was sixteen by the forty-five-year-old wizard she was living with. He was the last person to see her alive. Crocker put down that he was arrested for selling drugs and the bloke said Yvette had stolen his stash and taken it to London. You think there was any truth in that?"

Agape shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm positive Imogene found her in an alley in France before changing her."

Harry nodded and wrote something down as she flipped to the next photograph; this one was from a Muggle camera of a girl with long dark hair. She was grinning hugely as a handsome boy tugged on her arm to pull her out the doorway in the background. It took Agape a second to realize the girl was Payton.

"Wow, she looks very different," she said in awe.

Harry looked up and saw who she was peering at. He nodded soberly. "It took me a while before I figured out who she was. Her file doesn't say Payton – it says Heather Fenton. And do you remember how Jules told us they didn't know why she was kidnapped? Well, now I have an idea."

He shoved some folders out of the way and lifted stacks up as he searched. When he couldn't find what he was looking for in the untidiness he sighed and gave up, resigned to simply tell her out loud. "Apparently she has slight magical abilities that got her noticed in the Muggle world. She was almost hit by a bus, but ended up on the other side of the street before impact without knowing how she got there. Her boyfriend in the picture with her saw it, said the bus swerved and crashed into a pole, but she didn't have a mark. Crocker never wrote down the other incidents but her file says she got a lot of publicity in her town for being strange."

"But she never went to a magical school. Is she a Squib?"

"Both parents are Muggles," he replied. "She's like a regular person with slight artistic or athletic talents, only in her case she's a Muggle with slight magic talents. That would be enough of an insult to the Neo Death Eaters for them to torture her."

"She needs to know about this," Agape said, frowning at Payton's picture. "They helped her remember some things, but I don't think she knows she has any magical ability."

She moved the picture of Payton and found another Muggle photo underneath. A boy about eleven-years-old with red-brown hair stood between his parents in a holiday portrait with a mountain landscape in the background.

"That one was quite unsettling," Harry told her. "That boy is one of my little girl's best friends before he came to Hogwarts. I learned a lot about him from his file."

"Trevor Vaughn," Agape breathed. "Merlin's beard." The twelfth member of the Blood Traitors.

"His was one of the few up-to-date files. The Neo's took him and his Muggle parents to be experimented on and he was the only one to survive. I… I'm actually very worried about Trevor. I knew the Optimates had tried to hide him from the Ministry when he turned out to be a wizard accepted to Hogwarts-"

"Yes, that's why the Snooks asked to become his legal guardians," Agape remembered promptly. "They said they were afraid the Neos were trying to use him for something terrible."

As if struggling with some inner turmoil, Harry glared at his desk for a moment before continuing. "They were right, Agape. The disappearances of kids between five and twelve have doubled since he was discovered. If he was experimented on and is still alive, that means there's something he hasn't told us – like the reason Optimates would be interested in taking kids."

"So these kidnappings are definitely connected to Death Eaters?" Agape asked, leaning closer.

"As far as I can tell, almost half the children I've read about today can be tied to them, yes. But, there are others that have nothing to do with Optimates – like Yvette."

Still, the thought sent a chill up Agape's spine.

"Harry – I want to help you with this case as much as possible. I don't care about missing my training classes. I'll do anything just to help."

Harry studied her, trying to make a decision. "Okay," he said finally, "I understand. But I don't want you failing your classes – that won't do anyone any good."

There was a long pause in which Agape took a closer look at Harry's paper filled office.

"Harry, have you still not found an assistant?"

He gestured to the multiple stacks piling up on his desk and her old one. "Unless there's one buried alive under these, no I haven't. It's amazing; a few months without you lording over my desk and suddenly I'm worse off than I was before you came."

"I could give you a hand," she offered, feeling a bit smug.

"Agape, it's your day off – I'm not going to make you work for me."

"If you pay me, maybe I'll forget all about it being my day off."

"Training not very lucrative?"

"Very funny. Do we have a deal?"

Harry gave her an amused glance before pointing to her former desk. "If you can get rid of all of those papers today, I'll pay you double."

Agape chuckled. "What would you do without me?"

"Not much apparently."

_(Wow, this chapter kicked my butt. It took so long to write, then rewrite, then edit, then re-edit. I thought I was gonna keel over! Any-hoo, I hope you enjoy! Next time on BT:L Will Ginny ever get her peanut butter and pickles?!)_


	6. Chapter 5 The Currier

Chapter Five

The Currier

1

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked up and found Augustus Schmitt peering around his office door. The younger man seemed a bit more nervous than usual but Harry couldn't see any misgivings on his face that might be a sign of trouble.

"Schmitt, you here to apply as my assistant?" Harry joked.

"Sir?" said Gus.

"Nothing," Harry said, waving off his own joke. "Come on in. What do you need?"

"Actually, Mr. Potter, I w-was wondering if perhaps you and Agape would join me for a drink?" The lanky man stepped a few paces into the office and stood with his arms hanging awkwardly at his sides, though his eyes were focused meaningfully on Harry.

The Auror raised an eyebrow at him, but got the gist. "Love to. What time and where?"

"Right now," Schmitt answered very quickly, "at Boivin's Pub. T-that is, if you possibly can."

Harry took one look at the mass of paper still congesting the surface of his desk and said, "Well, I'm definitely free. But I think Agape is in class."

"Oh, yes. Well, it would be lovely if she could make it." He put emphasis on the word "lovely" and started backing out of the door again. "I'll be there, please come."

Then he was gone, leaving Harry wondering what was going on and whether or not it was important enough to get Agape.

2

"So, how's life?" asked Agape's dueling partner, Quinlan Lupin as they raised their wands for the hundredth time that morning.

That day's class was a practical lesson on strengthening grip, so basically they were just trying to expel each other's wands.

"What life?" Agape replied flatly, a half smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

"Ha. Yeah, I guess you're right," Quin admitted. "_Expelliarmus_."

Agape's wand slipped from her fingers once more and thumped against the tiled floor. She stooped and retrieved it before speaking again.

"It's been stressful," she replied as she put her long black hair back in a hair band to keep it out of the way. "_Expelliarmus_!"

A smug smile crossed over her lips as she watched Quin's wand pop out of his grasp as if it were smeared with soap. He had already proven many, many times that he could hold onto his wand quite tightly, but every so often she could surprise him.

As he bent down to get his wand from the floor, Quin uttered a short laugh at her comment as if to suggest "stressful" was a huge understatement. "I know what you mean. Defense Against Dark Arts was one of my strongest classes – but this training makes all that look like a joke. Well, maybe not today's lesson."

"Hmmh." The noise of acknowledgement was the only reply she could think of. It had been eleven years since her Defense classes at Hogwarts and she honestly couldn't remember much of what she had learned there.

A loud tapping rang through the room and suddenly everyone's attention focused on the small window set in the classroom door. Harry stood outside banging on the glass with the back of his knuckles, his wedding ring making the tapping noise. He stopped once he'd caught Agape's eye and started motioning her to come outside.

The woman frowned at him and shook her head.

Harry gave her a meaningful look.

"What's his deal?" Quin asked with an amused eyebrow raised.

Agape sighed, "I have no idea. I better see what he wants. _Expelliarmus_!"

"Hey!" Quin laughed as his wand zoomed from his fingers again and Agape walked away.

She shuffled over to the door under the critical eye and displeased sneer of her instructor. She yanked open the door and stepped outside to answer Harry.

"What is it?" she snapped.

"Meet me at Boivin's Pub as soon as you can," he told her brightly. "Gus wants to talk to us."

"But…"

"It's up to you, Agape. I can't make you leave your class and they can't make you stay," Harry told her, shrugging. "But you wanted me to keep you posted, so here I am."

She glanced back through the small window in the door and saw that her teacher was growing impatient. "But…"

Harry had already spun around and was striding away. "Maybe I'll see you at the pub," he called over his shoulder as he waved goodbye.

Agape stared after him, rather shocked and filled with indecision. "Uuugh!" she fumed, clenching her fists at her sides and stomping one high heeled pump against the floor.

She turned back into the classroom and apologized to her instructor.

3

It was still early in the day and the lunch rush hadn't hit Boivin's yet. Despite there only being a handful of occupied tables and bar stools, Harry couldn't find Schmitt. He asked the scruffy faced bar tender about him and was directed to a separate room in back of the house.

The private room was small and the broad-striped wallpaper was bubbled in some places – in fact, nothing in the pub was very well put together. The table was marred with cigarette or candle scorches and all the chairs had pockmarked legs. Everything looked antique, just not in a stylish way.

Two men sat at the shabby table: Schmitt and Luciano.

Schmitt's clean, pressed appearance stood out in the shabby place, but Luciano looked the part. His hair was uncombed and his unshaven face was unmistakably deprived of sleep. He was nursing a beer as he slouched over the tabletop and gave Harry a dark look when he entered.

"Ah. Now I understand all the secrecy," Harry said, as he sat down opposite them, recalling how Agape had told him about Luciano's going underground to start the search. "So, What's up?"

"Roman has some news," Gus offered excitedly. "He says he's found out something very important."

Harry waited expectantly as Roman sighed and leaned back in his chair. This was one of his least favorite Blood Traitors, but since he couldn't put his finger one why that was, he tried not to act too frigid toward him.

"Agape couldn't come with you?" asked Roman.

The Auror rolled his eyes. "Come on, you prat! I'm honestly not that bad – just say what you came to say. I'd really like to know."

"Alright," he relented at last. "Well, I'm sure Agape told you everything from our last meeting, so I'll skip the explanations. The good news is I've found the currier we need."

Gus banged the table with his palm. "Brilliant! Have you spoken to her?"

Roman then locked eyes with Harry, giving him a thoroughly unhappy look as he answered Gus: "No. I haven't spoken to her. Thank's to Mr. Potter, I may never get to. He arrested her three days ago."

Gus looked severely disappointed. "Oh my. That certainly complicates things."

Indeed, it did. However, Harry wasn't going to feel sorry for doing his job. "What's her name?" Harry asked. "I'll talk to her if you'd like."

"She'll never talk to you –" Roman began, but Harry cut him off.

"You'd be surprised what we Aurors can do, Luciano. What do you need to ask her?"

"You don't get it, Potter," said the younger man as he leaned forward over the table. He started counting off with his fingers as he continued. "First of all, she'll never talk to you because she's a currier. Optimates curriers never give up information easily – no bargaining or potion is going to cut it. And what's worse: this woman isn't just a messenger. She's high ranking, which means I have no power over her. Then – even worse than that – they've heard she's been arrested, so they'll be able to trace exactly who said what if we suddenly know something we shouldn't. But worst of all, even if she would talk to me, I can't get anywhere near Azkaban without ending up back in a cell!"

"Okay, calm down- "

"Fix it, and then I'll calm down!"

"Alright! Shut up," Harry snapped. "Look, there has to be something we can do. Is there no one else you can talk to who isn't in prison?"

"No," Roman replied sourly.

"Well, what's her bloody name?"

"Jett."

Harry frowned at him and shook his head. "What's her real name?"

"How should I know? That's the reason we all have codenames."

"What does she look like?" Gus asked calmly, trying to help.

"Sorry I'm late!"

They all looked toward the doorway as Agape came in and shut the door behind her. "I got lost trying to find this place."

"I thought you had gone back to class," Harry said.

"Only to tell my instructor I was leaving," said the tall woman, taking the last chair around the table. "He was livid… But go on – what were you talking about?"

"Roman was just telling Mr. Potter and me that the currier he needs to talk to was arrested," Gus informed her politely before looking back to his friend. "So what does she look like?"

"I only know she has a scar over her eye and dark eyebrows. Apparently no one has ever seen her without her mask," Roman replied.

"Hmm. That sounds similar to the woman I arrested the other day," Agape pondered out loud.

Then Harry let out a single bursting laugh: "Ha! So I'm not the bad guy after all!"

"What?" inquired the woman.

"Agape, the currier was arrested three days ago by our group and yours was the only one of them with a scar on their face. She _is_ the woman you arrested," Harry explained.

Agape looked distraught for a moment as realization sunk in. Then hope suddenly struck her eyes and she urgently grabbed Harry's wrist. "It's not too late!"

Roman perked up some. "What do you mean?"

"Tonks gave me an update on her just this morning. She said she hasn't gone on trial so she's not official!"

Harry was confused. "It's been three days and she's not official yet?"

"She refuses to speak – at all. Tonks said she hasn't uttered a single sound since she was brought in. They don't even know her name. So they've put off her trial until somebody has time to find out who she is."

"That's impossible," Gus proclaimed. "Couldn't they check her wand records?"

"She doesn't have one," Agape told them happily. "Must have lost it in the rubble when that loft collapsed. If we talk to her now- "

"-We can offer her a bargain she won't want to refuse," Harry finished for her, a grin spreading over his face too. "No records, no trial – For now she's safe to say whatever, because there's no hard proof she was one of the ones arrested."

"And we can take her out of Azkaban for questioning without much fuss," Agape added brightly. "We could do it today and we can ask her what we need to know."

Roman seized her hand and kissed it. "That's the first good news I've heard in days, Agape. Thank you!"

Agape blushed faintly.

"I'll talk to Tonks," Harry said, immediately standing and reaching for the door. "Luciano, tell Agape what you need to know from this woman. And if you want to be there when we do the interrogation, you'd better wait in my office with her." He addressed Gus, "I'm sure your boss is missing you, Schmitt, but I'll contact you when we start. Oh, and someone should tell Bireley what's going on."

As Agape had been the one who had wanted him to let the Blood Traitors get more involved with the case, he glanced back at her before leaving. "_Are they included enough?_" he asked with a look.

She responded with an appreciative smile and he left the room.

4

It was evening before they're plan finally started working out. Harry had argued with Tonks for at least an hour before she told him to talk to their boss, Kingsley Shacklebolt. That had taken two more hours. When at last they both agreed, Harry informed the warden of Azkaban to locate the unnamed prisoner and bring her to the Ministry. It was now six o'clock and the scarred woman was in the interrogation room (a.k.a. the viewing box) at last.

Like a police station's questioning room, the viewing box had a side where the interrogation could be observed by someone without the other party being able to see them. The only difference was that the entire wall was transparent to the watcher but just looked like a wall to the one being questioned and the viewing room was completely sound proof. This way, those watching could hear and see everything perfectly but their presence was undetectable. And as the viewing box was virtually unknown outside of the Auror Headquarters, most people never worried they were being watched.

The scarred, brunet prisoner sat in one of the only two chairs in the room with her legs crossed and one hand in her lap. The other was up near her mouth as she chewed a hangnail absently. She didn't appear to mind the blank walls, or the lowered temperature of the room. She was completely calm in the uncomfortable chair – which usually meant bad news for the interrogator.

However, Harry was intrepid. He stared through the transparent wall at his target with a gleam of determination in his green eyes that Agape was very familiar with in the workplace.

Schmitt and Luciano were in the viewing box as well. Gus had come to meet them only ten minutes before, having completed all of his work for the day, thus leaving no reason for his boss to call him back. Roman had stayed in Harry's office with Agape since their meeting at the pub, and had only grown more anxious and taciturn with each hour that passed.

Someone knocked on the door, and Harry nodded for Agape to answer it. She only opened it enough to peer out and see who was knocking at first, but when she saw a short man with red hair and dragon hide cloth hanging around his neck, she let him in.

Drake slid inside.

"Why aren't you wearing your mask, Drake?" Harry inquired, gesturing to the cloth around the man's neck.

"What is it with you," Alton retorted, smirking. "First you think I'm an Optimus when I wear it, then you want to know why it's not on when I'm walking through a building full of Aurors." He pulled his mask up over his mouth and nose before continuing. "You Ministry people ask too many questions and I didn't want to be noticed."

Harry looked Drake up and down briefly, saying as he turned back toward the prisoner: "Like you said, you're in a building full of Aurors. They noticed you."

"Where's Logan?" Agape inquired of the red haired man.

"I dunno," Alton said. "I tried ringing him, but he never answered. I'm here in his place though. Hi, Rome."

"Hello," said Roman. "How's everyone?"

"Fine."

There was some tension in the air between them, but nothing that wouldn't fade with conversation. Agape chose to speak again:

"So, should we get started?"

Harry nodded and in the next moment left the room only to enter the one where the woman sat waiting a second later. Agape and the three Blood Traitors watched intently.

She saw that after the prisoner looked at his face she examined the scar on his forehead, as if to confirm his identity. And that was all. She never shifted uncomfortably or gave any sign that she was discontent or nervous. In fact, she looked more like she was taking a comfy break and merely needed a book to read for entertainment.

"Please state your name," Harry requested, not uncivilly.

She made no response but to watch him as he stood expectantly before her.

"Any name would suffice," he added to no avail. Her mouth never moved.

"I was told you refused to speak," he commented almost to himself. Ignoring the extra chair, he crossed his arms over his chest and began leisurely pacing the room. "You won't say your name and you conveniently lost your wand. I'm surprised they haven't found any other record on you. You must be foreign. Either that or you've been underground for so long that the Ministry figured you died."

"Wish they would figure _I_ died," Roman mused next to Agape. "Then they'd leave me alone."

"Perhaps if you had made some better choices, they wouldn't assume you betrayed them," Gus commented on the other side of the Italian.

The look Roman gave him was not amused. "See if I ever have a drink with _you_ again."

"Hmm. I can't have that," Gus replied. "Then we'd _both_ be drinking alone, and I don't want to take on any more of your bad habits."

Agape shushed them, Harry was talking again. He paused in front of the prisoner and let his head tilt at an angle as he regarded her.

"You know, it wouldn't be hard to find your name – it's just no one's had the time, so they're leaving you for last. I already know you're a currier. I also know you delivered a message to Odin recently; a message concerning the kidnapping of Liberty Kimber. That would be enough information for me to put you in Azkaban for the rest of your life."

Apparently she didn't care much. She merely blinked placidly at him.

Harry started his slow march again, turning his head to keep an eye on her as he did so. "You can do one of two things," he persisted to his unresponsive prisoner. "You can continue not talking and I'll just search for your name myself – then you can have your trial and be put back in your cell to rot."

The woman kept peering blankly at him with her amber colored eyes, taking him in – perhaps sizing him up behind her perfect poker face.

After another brief pause in which he reached the wall and turned back on his heel, Harry continued, "Your other option is to simply tell me who you are and answer my questions. Doing that alone will keep you from spending life in prison, but if it turns out you have more use than that – say, information on Liberty Kimber's kidnapping, or even better, her whereabouts – I may be able to get you out of here without ever writing your name in a file or convicting you of anything."

Harry halted his speech again to let this information sink in. However, the woman was dauntlessly indifferent. She acted as if she hadn't heard a word he just said and was still awaiting his first move.

"So, what will it be?" Harry asked, stopping the pace and propping one shoulder against a wall in wait with his arms still languidly crossed.

Only more silence followed in both rooms.

"You won't have this opportunity again," he reminded her. "The other Neos would never have to know you were here."

"Except the ones who were arrested with her," Roman pointed out.

"They're all going to Azkaban," Agape countered. "They won't have anymore contact with the others."

"Yeah, because I certainly lost all contact with the other Optimates when I was in there," he retorted. "I don't know if this is going to work after all."

"Give it a chance," Alton said. "Your case was a little different than hers. They broke you out of Azkaban before your trial because that was their plan."

"Another bad choice," Gus pointed out.

"I _will_ hit you, you know."

"Shhh!" hissed Agape.

The nameless woman pushed some stray strands of hair away from her face as Harry straightened and said, "I would think anyone would want to stay out of Azkaban. I'll give you a minute to decide."

With that he left the room.

A moment later the door to the viewing box opened and he came back inside.

"Maybe she'll be more willing to talk when I go back in," he said, his voice no less confident than before. "Sometimes it takes a while. If we have to, I can get Tonks to do a good-cop-bad-cop thing. She'll see right through it, but it would annoy the words out of her if nothing else."

"I can see you as the bad cop," Alton admitted, nodding.

Harry glared at him. "Actually, I'm normally the good cop."

"See if she'll respond to the name Jett," Roman interrupted. "She's not very well known, so the Ministry knowing her name would probably unnerve her."

"I'd rather leave her the option to give me any name she wants at first – but if she leaves me no choice, I'll find out her name anyway," Harry told him, shrugging.

"Yeah, but you won't have the information we need," Alton pointed out.

Agape and Roman observed the woman in the other room as Harry invited Alton to do the job himself if he thought he could do better.

With no one else inside the room, the prisoner seemed to relax further. She brought her legs up to her chest and draped her arms over her knees as she let her head fall back to rest against the wall. She closed her eyes and heaved a mighty sigh. Agape wondered what was going through this woman's head at that instant.

Judging by the faint frown she noticed growing steadily deeper on Roman's visage, he was wondering as well. He had been in her place at one point – but he had reacted quite differently. So long as Augustus was in the room, Roman would tell the Ministry just about anything – as that's what most double agents do – but this woman didn't look anywhere near budging. If she said anything at all, Agape would be thoroughly surprised.

Alton and Harry were distracted by their argument. Alton saying something to Harry about the interrogation process taking too long and that they needed to get moving sooner. The Auror was just trying to hold his temper with the opinionated man.

"Roman," she said suddenly, but quietly so the others wouldn't hear. "What do you think would happen if you talked to her?"

Roman gave her a sharp side glance. "You think Potter would let me?"

She gave him a side glance of her own. "Do you think you could get her to talk?"

"Maybe." When her reaction was less than thrilled, he tried again: "Most likely."

"Well, Harry is a sensible person, so if you think you could get her to speak I don't see why he would object. What do you say?"

Roman bit his lip in an uncharacteristic show of doubt. But he replied, "Okay. Let's try it."

"Harry, what if Roman gave it a shot?" she asked loudly almost before the words had left his mouth.

Harry looked over in surprise and even laughed shortly. "You stole my thunder, Agape. I was going to ask if he would come with me when I went back in."

Agape grinned hugely – it looked like those classes were actually paying off. She felt like she had done something right.

"Well, Luciano?"

Roman fortified himself with a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I'll come in."

5

Harry lead the way into the interrogation room, but he could tell things were different as soon as Luciano entered after him. The woman watched the Auror in a similar way as before, seemingly unconcerned yet alert. However, as soon as she saw Roman with him, her eyelids opened a little more and she paid much closer attention.

What really blew Harry away was what happened next.

"You're not from the Ministry," she stated to Roman. Her clear, frank voice sounded odd inside the walls, as if it didn't quite belong there.

Harry was so shocked he didn't know how to react right away. He looked at Roman, who was equally taken aback, and raised his eyebrows. The kid certainly had an effect.

Roman eyed him questioningly. Harry answered by shoving the empty chair toward him as he walked past it, choosing to stand quietly in the corner instead of sitting. He would let these two interact by themselves.

Roman took the seat in front of the woman, confirming her previous statement, "No, I'm not from the Ministry. But I need to find someone."

"The little girl," she acknowledged as her legs unfolded and she sat up straight.

"Liberty Kimber," Roman said, eagerly nodding. "Do you know where she is?"

The woman's pretty eyes narrowed at him, as if she didn't understand something. "You don't know?"

"No. Should I?"

Harry's brows furrowed and he watched Luciano's reaction closely. The younger man merely blinked uncomprehendingly.

The woman's narrowed stare grew uncertain, and then she was suddenly moving. Without warning, she leaned forward and seized Roman's right arm, shoving up the long sleeve of his shirt.

From where he stood, Harry could plainly see the gruesome scar that clawed up Luciano's forearm starting at his wrist. The Auror had never noticed the mark before, but the woman seemed to know all about it.

Her face relaxing again, she was no longer in doubt. When she saw Roman's shaken face a small smirk appeared on her shapely mouth and she replied to his question, "Yes, you really should know."

Roman was frozen for a moment as he gaped at her. It took him a full thirty seconds to recover. o"Well, perhaps you could inform me," he said at last, pulling his arm out of her grasp and hurriedly pushing his sleeve back down.

"Can I leave this place if I do?" she inquired, cocking a dark eyebrow at Harry.

"If you'll be willing to help us once you're out," Harry answered honestly.

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I'll need my wand."

_(Okay, I swear that I'll write quicker in the future. I only have three weeks of school left, so after that I'll have plenty of time on my hands to type. Hope you enjoy!!!)_


	7. Chapter 6 Flight and Fight

Chapter Six

Flight and Fight

Ginny Potter stood in her kitchen, trying to decide what it was the baby in her belly so desperately wanted her to eat. As she deliberated, pausing with the refrigerator door propped open against her plump hip, she attempted to stretch her sore lower back somewhat. Carrying around so many extra pounds in her womb made her achy by this time of night. Her feet had only felt better after she freed them from her shoes and pressed them against the cool tiles of the kitchen floor.

Merlin's beard, she missed coffee!

An enormous latte of some sort would have been great at that point, but her doctor had told her to stay away from anything having to do with caffeine and (obviously) alcohol. She remembered getting into a bit of a row with the woman when she found out she couldn't even have decaf coffee. But Little-Miss-Mediwizard had won – it was for the good of the baby.

Brushing some of her red tresses out of her vision, Ginny leaned forward into the cool refrigerator and finally decided on the large bag of grapes sitting on the top self. The bag was opened and she was popping a grape into her mouth before the refrigerator door had swung itself shut.

Sitting down at the island counter, she contentedly munched the little fruits, the house quiet around her.

She had only swallowed maybe her sixth grape when she heard the front door open and close in the foyer.

"Harry?" she called.

Seconds later, her husband had followed her voice into the kitchen. He was covered in a thick layer of gray dust and a sizable bruise was turning an enthusiastic purple above his left eye.

"Hi, Babe," he said, kissing her cheek and casually walking over to the cabinet for a glass.

She gaped at him, unsure of what to say first as he poured himself some water and drank the entire glass. Things like '_Who hit you?_' and '_Did you get attacked by another owl?_' came to mind. She closed her mouth instead and examined him from where she sat: no oddly positioned limbs, gashes, boils, or missing fingers, and there was no limp in his walk as he crossed the kitchen to the island and sat on a stool beside hers.

He looked at her and she could see he was weary, but not in bad spirits. In his line of work, Harry had gotten used to coming home in this sort of condition, but Ginny was always a little flustered by it. It was the Molly Weasley in her.

"Don't look at me like that," he chided with a half smile. "I'm fine. Better than fine."

Ginny rearranged her face into what she hoped was a more relaxed expression. She shoved the grapes toward him. "You'd better be fine," she said. "Are there any more bruises like this one?"

She reached out to tilt his head slightly as she took a closer look at his injury. It was showy, but nothing her wand couldn't put right.

"That's the extent of the damage," he assured her, taking her hand and holding it in his on the counter top.

"Well, nothing too terrible could have happened. You're in too good a mood," she pointed out. "So tell me about it."

Harry straightened on his seat. "Well, I told you in the fireplace why I was going to be late," he began.

She nodded and said, "Because your interrogation with that prisoner went well. Luciano got her talking."

"Right. Well, all of that was going nicely, until…"

oOo

_Harry returned to the interrogation room with a signed paper in hand. He opened the door only to hold it ajar and usher the five people inside into the hall. Agape, Alton, Augustus, and Roman had joined the prisoner, Jett, in the interrogation room to watch over her in his absence. Now the group filed out, all seemingly relieved to be getting down to business at last. Agape came out last, behind Alton who was grimly fiddling with his mobile phone. _

"_Agape," Harry said to the black haired woman, "you take these four back to my office for now. I need to let Ginny know I'll be late."_

"_So Mr. Shacklebolt said we could keep Jett out of Azkaban?" she asked._

_Harry showed her the paper he was holding. "It's official – so she's allowed some freedom, so long as she's doing as she's told." With this he gave the prisoner a warning look. "Luciano, on the other hand, isn't that lucky. He needs to get out of sight before someone discovers him here-"_

_As if on cue, there were voices coming from down the hall. Two people were around the corner, arguing from the sound of it. If they saw Roman, he would be arrested on the spot – Azkaban escapees got such bad raps. _

_Harry swore under his breath and turned back to Agape. "I'll distract whoever that is. You go ahead to the warehouse." _

_From the terrified expression she gave him, you would think he had asked her to assassinate the Minister of Magic instead of baby sit a few vigilantes and a criminal. _

"_I don't know how long this will take," he reasoned with her, "and I still have to talk to Ginny. Just keep an eye on them until I can get there – especially Jett."_

oOo

"Wait," Ginny stopped him. "You never told me – why did you need to go back to the warehouse anyway?"

At her interruption, Harry had paused in mid sentence with his mouth still slightly open but quickly came back to the present.

"It's where Jett was arrested with the other Optimates," he explained. "She said she purposefully lost her wand in the wreckage so that we wouldn't be able to trace it to her via a wand scan. And she wouldn't be much use without her wand, so I allowed it."

Ginny nodded thoughtfully as she removed some of the dust covering her husband with a useful domestic spell. "Right. Sorry, continue…"

oOo

_The two people were getting very close and Harry glanced over his shoulder to make sure the others were dashing down the hall as quickly as possible. He moved himself strategically into a view-blocking position, taking up as much room in the hallway as possible while still looking casual. _

"_You can't arrest him!" exclaimed the familiar voice of Remus Lupin, Head of the Werewolf Registration Office. "He's done nothing wrong."_

"_Why don't you leave that up to me, Mr. Lupin," Rhonwen Yates replied curtly. _

_The pair rounded the corner just as the hem of Schmitt's work robes disappeared down a separate passage. Harry saved his sigh of relief for later. _

"_You're being irrational," Remus was saying when he and Yates found their way barred by the Auror. _

"_Excuse me, Potter," Yates said in an impolite tone._

"_Hello, Rhonwen, Remus," Harry said, not moving. "What's up?"_

_The lines on fifty-six-year-old Remus's face were deepened by frustration. "Miss Yates has arrested Logan Bireley," he explained. "Though, her grounds for doing so are questionable."_

_Yates whirled on Remus with her best eat-dung scowl. "We just want to question him further, Mr. Lupin," she said in her usual clipped voice. "Besides, just because _you_ put so much merit in Bireley doesn't automatically make him innocent. Your opinion is not above the law – and neither are you, despite what you might think." At this she broadened the wealth of her glare to include Harry too. _

_It may have been a while since the Order of the Phoenix had gathered in the open, but Yates clearly remembered they were affiliates. _

_Ignoring her comment – as he often did with those rules he was 'not above' – Harry asked, "Why do you need to arrest him to ask him questions?"_

_Yates sighed, exasperated. _

"_Because he refused to come willingly," she replied. _

"Bireley_ refused to cooperate? That doesn't sound like him," Harry said, almost to himself._

"_That's what I said," Remus pointed out to Yates._

_The only time Harry had tried to question Bireley was back when he and the Blood Traitors weren't on good terms – Harry threatened to arrest him if he didn't talk and he complied relatively quickly. Even these days, a werewolf with any red marks on his record would have a hard time keeping a job, so they were usually quite careful. _

"_Miss Yates," said a tense voice from behind him._

_A thrill of cold shot through Harry's veins as he turned and saw Yates's assistant, Lenore Lupin, behind him. Had she seen the others retreating?_

_She gave no sign that she had seen anything unusual as she opened her mouth to speak: "I have –"_

_But Yates cut her off, pouncing on her opportunity to get past Harry. "Where have you been?" she snarled. "I've been waiting nearly an hour!" _

"_I was getting Betrys Kimber, like you told me-"_

_The older woman had stepped up to her small assistant and stood over her. "I don't suppose you stopped by the Werewolf Registration Office on your way," Yates snapped viciously. "Do you handle all of you moral dilemmas by running to your father?"_

_Harry had to give Lenore her props; he wouldn't have been able to hold back a snide remark if his boss talked to him that way. Lenore had certainly inherited her father's patience. _

_Before Remus could take a breath to defend his daughter, Lenore spoke: "I don't have any moral dilemma, Miss Yates. I know exactly how I feel about the situation with Mr. Bireley and I don't need my Dad to tell me. Now, Betrys Kimber is outside your office and wanting to know why she's here. Would you like to talk to her?"_

_But Yates refused to loose. "Go home, Lenore. It's obvious you're useless as soon as work gets a little personal. Should I be expecting your overzealous brother to come to Bireley's defense next?" _

"_Stop yelling at my daughter," Remus said firmly. "She never told me anything – Garry Moore sent his assistant to me saying you'd gotten the wrong man. And he was right."_

oOo

"Isn't Moore's assistant Augustus Schmitt?"

"Yes. That little sneak told Remus that his boss thought Yates had the wrong man!" Harry exclaimed. "He did it while I was talking to Kingsley about Jett."

"Why? How did he know?" Ginny asked, rapt in the story.

"All of the Blood Traitors have mobile phones that Drake rigged to work on magic," he told her. "Logan sent them a text message from Yates's office after he was arrested, saying he needed Remus's help. While I was out of the room, Gus left and lied to Remus, who did exactly as they expected by unknowingly distracting Yates."

"Distracted her from what?"

Harry heaved another sigh and shook his head a little. "I didn't find out until we got to Yates's office."

oOo

"_Look, he's only under arrest until I have enough facts to prove him innocent or guilty," Yates barked at them all as they paused in the antechamber of her office. _

_Betrys Kimber looked up as they came in, her eyes wide with questions and concern. _

_Yates ignored her presence at first, continuing: "Bireley is in a precarious situation here – when I last saw him, he admitted to wanting his daughter back and holding a grudge against his ex-wife, and he didn't have a credible alibi. Not to mention the fact that someone not completely human was present in that house the night she was kidnapped."_

"_There was no full moon that night," Remus reminded her._

"_Yes, but you know as well as I do that not all of these beasts appear as human as you, Mr. Lupin."_

_A tense silence settled over the group momentarily. It was a sordidly low blow that certainly wasn't going to win the old viper any popularity votes within the room. Though Harry couldn't help recalling Fenrir Greyback's inhumanly sharp canines, the comment didn't help Yates's argument any. There was no way those spaced out footprints were made by any werewolf in human form. _

_The 'friendly' competition between the Aurors and Investigations had officially gone out the window – by insulting Remus, Yates had just dug her own grave. Honestly, Harry didn't know why everyone thought she was so good at her job in the first place. He had seen reporters from the _Daily Prophet_ with better sources. _

"_Sounds like you're grasping at straws here, Rhonwen," Harry pointed out flatly. "You do realize that you can't arrest a person merely because you're out of leads and you're desperate to look busy."_

_That got her attention. Yates glowered at him so intensely Harry thought her head might actually sprout snakes and he would end up turned to stone._

"_You think Logan is a suspect?" asked a flabbergasted Betrys._

_All four Ministry workers looked around at her, having forgotten she was still in the room._

_Looking utterly confused, she added, "Logan would never do something like that."_

_Harry, Remus, and Lenore gave Yates we-told-you-so looks and the old woman shouted "Get out of my office! I'm going to get some answers out of Bireley whether you like it or not!"_

_She opened her office door and slammed it behind her, letting the quiet ring in her aftermath. _

_Harry rolled his eyes and reminded himself that he had things to do – but all of that flew out of his mind when he heard the howl of rage from within the office. Lenore immediately reached for the door and Betrys gasped. _

_The door flew open violently, narrowly missing little Lenore, and Yates rushed back out. _

"_HE'S GONE!" she roared. "WHERE IS HE?"_

"_What?" Lenore said, taken aback._

"_I left him in here with the door fixed! There's no way he could've left! So where is he?"_

"_I don't know," Lenore said indignantly, gesturing to Betrys. "I was gone for an hour getting Miss Kimber, remember?"_

_Yates stood lividly on the spot with both fists clenched hard enough for her nails to break the skin. "I'm putting out a warrant for Bireley right now," she hissed through clamped teeth. "So much for him being a saint!" she added to Remus. _

_Harry shook his head and vowed to kill the Blood Traitors at the soonest opportunity. _

oOo

"Damn…"

Harry nodded. "They broke him out when I was distracting Yates."

"You're more of a tool than Remus was."

"Thank you, dear."

"Seriously, at least they had the decency to lie to Lupin, but you knowingly helped them!" She was holding back a grin quite unsuccessfully.

"Well, I didn't know they would do _that_," Harry pointed out, exasperated. "I thought they were getting out of the Ministry like I told them."

"Where was Agape? Wasn't she supposed to be watching them?" Ginny pointed out.

Harry scoffed. "They twisted her arm a bit and she let them do it."

"Maybe she should join them instead of becoming and Auror. Some part of her obviously wants to," Ginny pondered aloud. "But go on."

"Well, I left Yates and Remus to their fun-filled adventure of finding Bireley to talk to you, and then I went straight to the warehouse."

"And judging by your clothes and that bruise," Ginny said, raising her eyebrows teasingly, "you must have had fun."

oOo

_Harry Apparated just outside of the dilapidated warehouse to find its windows lit with flashing lights and the unmistakable sounds of dueling. The nearest door hung open and clouds of dusts billowed from it like smoke from a dragons mouth._

_Apparently, the BT were not yet done causing trouble._

"_I'm going to kill them," he muttered._

_The Auror set his jaw, prepared his wand, and rushed inside. _

_It was dark other than the spells flying about and the dust made it difficult to breathe without coughing, but it gave him cover for now. Every shout echoed from unseen bodies and the magic seemed to zip about the floating particles by itself. There was a clearer area ahead of him and he moved toward the two dark figures he saw fighting there. _

_Then there was a reverberating BOOM that shook the building around him and a blast of dust came from his left. With it came a very hard impact. _

_Harry was knocked to the floor by someone being propelled through the air. He and the man who hit him swore loudly, but Harry recovered first and had his wand to the fellow's throat in one swift move. _

"_Cripes, Potter," said Alton Drake, leaning away from Harry's wand tip. "It's not like I _meant_ to land on you."_

"_Drake!" Harry cried as he straightened and pulled Alton up by his tee-shirt. "What did you do?"_

"_Why do you always assume _I_ started it?" Alton demanded. _

"_What's going on? Who are… Oy! Why is your mouth uncovered?"_

_Alton's eyes crossed slightly following Harry's finger pointing to his dragon hide mask. He shrugged. "Just in case?"_

_Harry scowled at him and tugged the mask up until it covered Drake's mouth and nose. "No torching! Just because you _can_ breathe fire doesn't mean you _should_. You want to burn this whole place down?"_

"_Uhh…"_

"_Never mind," Harry sighed. "Where is-"_

_A jet of sparks zoomed between the two men and they immediately fired back at their attacker. _

"_C'mon!" Alton shouted. "Why don't you come out and fight, you sorry bugger? D'you loose your bottle already?"_

_Another blast rushed over them, blowing Harry to the side and sending Alton careening out of sight into a pile of crates. _

_Then their opponent showed himself. The newest attack had kicked up more dust, and Harry couldn't make out many details other than the man's stocky frame and the dark cloth wrapped around the lower half of his face. _

_An Optimus. _

_They regarded each other for a split second before Harry shot a hex and the man deftly blocked it, stepping backward. Suddenly Harry was on his feet and they were dueling. After a few minutes, it was apparent to both men that the masked man wasn't as good as Harry – which put the Auror a bit on edge. Desperation increased the likelihood of frantic, dangerous attacks._

_Harry knocked the man into a wall and kept his wand poised to shoot. They were standing beneath what was left of the old loft office floor. _

"_Drop your wand!" Harry shouted over another crash from a nearby fight. "Drop your wand! Now!"_

_The fellow hesitated, but he didn't oblige. The men were too far away from each other to make out expressions or eye movement through the haze. Harry didn't even see his opponent glance up to the roof until it was too late. _

_A rush of purple light hit the remaining boards of the loft floor which plummeted right on top of Harry. _

_The dirty cheat._

_When the last of the rubble had settled, the other man moved away from the wall and circled the pile of debris in search of his foe. It was still difficult to see, and there was no sign of the bespectacled man within the mass of splintered wood and metal. He cautiously kicked a plank aside to check underneath, when he felt a wand tip graze the back of his neck. _

"_I told you to drop your wand," Harry repeated. He had gotten mostly out of the way of the collapse and hidden in the floating dust. "Drop it."_

_The other man paused again and turned his head slightly. "Harry?"_

_The Auror knew the voice instantly and whirled the man around by his shoulder to make sure. "Fred?"_

"_George," he corrected, pulling down the cloth from his face. _

_Harry was gobsmacked. "What are you doing here? Why were you fighting Drake?"_

"_Who's Drake?" asked George Weasley as he brushed his dusty hair away from his face and revealed a shock of red. _

"_The short bloke with the mask," Harry told him, pointing over his shoulder at the now distant pile of crates where Alton had been flung._

"_You socializing with Neos now, Harry," George asked, perplexed._

_Realization struck Harry and he spun around to face the other duels. "Not good."_

"_Harry, what's going on?" George demanded. _

_Harry held his wand over his head and shot a white, phoenix shaped symbol into the air. Then he answered his friend: "The people you're fighting aren't Optimates."_

_The duels ceased quickly in all directions – the bright bird hanging in the air was a sign to members of the Order of the Phoenix to stop fighting immediately and regroup. Soon, other figures were approaching Harry and George through the dust clouds. _

"_If they're not Neos, who are they?" George inquired incredulously._

"_They're a few Blood Traitors and a friend of mine," Harry explained as the others drew nearer. "They came here because I told them to."_

"_Bloody 'ell," George muttered, a faint chuckle of relief in his voice. "McGonagall told us to guard the place because two Optimates were sniffing around yesterday. We're supposed to find out what they wanted in here. Never figured on seeing anyone other than Neos tonight."_

"_Oy! What gives?" said the voice of Charlie Weasley. "Harry, what are you doing here?" The second oldest Weasley son was even stockier than his younger brother, but his hair was the same Weasley red that Harry's wife shared. _

"_He came with the intruders," George told him. "Apparently, they're not Optimates. They're Blood Traitors."_

"_Is that better?" Charlie wondered aloud._

_Two more members, Hestia Jones and Lee Jordan, appeared at this point as well, and the last, Susan Bones, came soon after. _

"_There's a girl here who says she's from the Ministry," Susan said pointing to the tall, rather haggard figure of Agape, who rushed toward Harry._

"_Harry! I'm so sorry," she said immediately. "I didn't know they would be here – they just came out of nowhere and they were all wearing masks."_

_Harry frowned as he eyed the different colored cloths hanging from most of his fellow Order members' necks. _

"_It's kerchief day, didn't you know?" George asked Harry._

_Hestia rolled her eyes. "They're for the dust – so we don't get choked while we fight," she explained. _

"_I told you we looked like Death Eaters," Lee said to Susan, who replied indignantly: "I thought they would help. Sorry."_

_Harry looked to Agape. "Where is Bireley?"_

_She became quite still and bit her lip. "Oh… Well, let me explain –"_

"_Just point me in the right direction," he ordered._

_She searched through the dust with her keen eyes and did as she was told. Harry followed her finger until he found the little cluster of Blood Traitor men. Upon reaching them, he could see they were in little better condition than he was: Alton had a sizable bruise on his left arm from hitting the crates, and a lens in Gus's glasses was cracked. They were all coated in gray that matched the warehouse around them. _

_Harry stopped directly in front of Logan, glaring at him – and to his surprise, Logan glared back. _

"_You are in serious trouble now, Bireley," Harry informed him as if he didn't know. "Yates is out for your blood; and if she doesn't get you, The Department of Magical Law Enforcement will."_

"_I had to," Logan said, standing his ground. "I can't save my daughter from inside Azkaban and that's exactly where I was headed. Besides, I have new information on the vampire who took Libby."_

"_What information?"_

_Logan dug a scrap of parchment out of his pocket and shoved it toward Harry. "It's a list of names Imogene and Yvette put together of all the vampires known to be working with the Neos. Look at the one they circled –"_

_He pointed at a name surrounded in red ink near the bottom of the list: Nolan Quentin. _

"_So this is N.Q.?" said Harry._

"_It has to be. And I'm going to find him and make him tell me where he took Libby," Logan snarled._

_It looked as though Logan had undergone a total transformation from meek to bellicose in a few days. Whereas before he would have waited for orders from Jules or one of the other BT leaders, he was now kicking butt and taking names. Oddly, this new behavior was almost more natural than his reserved side. It was as if he had only needed a worthy cause to let it out. _

"_Alright, this will help us," Harry said, nodding. "But you're not doing it alone, Bireley. There's a warrant out for you by now and we'll have to do this carefully, because I can't stop them arresting you."_

_He took Logan's silently determined expression as acceptance of these terms. He was about to say something when someone cleared their throat behind him. He and the Blood Traitors looked around to see the Order members had followed Agape to where they stood. _

"_Sorry, everyone," Harry said. "This was one big miscommunication. Blood Traitors, meet the Order."_

_The four men were a bit too preoccupied to be very impressed. Alton gave them a single wave and Logan nodded in recognition. Roman's only response was to watch them warily. Gus, being of a forgive-and-forget nature, was the only one to offer a brief smile. Then he gave Roman a jab in the shoulder with his finger. "Why couldn't you tell they weren't Optimates?" he pointed out._

"_I knew they weren't," Roman answered honestly. _

"_Could've used that information before now, mate," Alton grumbled. "May have saved some time." _

"_I couldn't," Roman retorted, loosing his temper. "They were too organized – you saw how fast they separated us. Besides, it wouldn't have made much of a difference."_

_Alton gave him an impatient look. "Er…Yeah, it would've."_

"_Hey, wasn't there another one in your group?" Lee said. "Where's the other woman?"_

"_Good question," Harry growled unhappily. "Where is Jett?"_

_They all looked at Roman, who raised a black eyebrow at them, saying, "What? Is that my fault too?"_

"_Maybe," Alton bit._

"_No, it's definitely my fault for letting her out of my sight," Harry interrupted. _

"_We tried, Harry," Agape insisted plaintively, "but in all the excitement she –"_

"– _Slipped away to do exactly as she was told," said Jett's voice from over their heads. _

_Everyone craned their necks back to see her dark haired figure leaning over the rail of what remained of the lofty cat walk. A wand was wedged between her first and second finger in display for Harry to see. "I found my wand, and I didn't even fight with your friends there. Does that count as good behavior?" _

"_Better than the rest of us," Harry admitted. "Come down, please."_

_She nodded and aimed for the nearest set of stairs. _

"_Is that why you sent them?" Susan asked. "To find a wand?"_

"_That's it," Harry told her. "She's a Neo from Azkaban who can help us find a little girl. We need her and she needed her wand."_

"_That's probably what those buggers were looking for yesterday," George concluded._

"_No," said Jett as she approached, her clothes virtually untouched by the dust. "They were looking for a very important message. One that I personally destroyed as duty required." _

_Alton uttered a sarcastic snort. "You're just all kinds of well-behaved aren't you?"_

_She gave the short man a patient smile, saying, "It's either that or be horribly punished. Your friend knows that better than anyone." With this she turned her gaze to Roman, who narrowed his eyes at her as though she had insulted him._

"_Are we done here?" he asked sullenly. _

"_Yes, let's go," Logan agreed._

oOo

"So we left."

"To do what?"

Ginny had listened intently the entire time and eaten the little purple grapes like popcorn. Now the bag was empty but for the discarded skeletal stems.

"Well, we had to find out something about the vampire," Harry answered her. "And there's no one with more knowledge about this country's vampires than Remus, so I went to the BT headquarters and sent him a message."

"To which he replied?" she inquired.

Harry pulled the parchment out of his robes and flattened it on the counter for her to examine:

_Harry,_

_The best person to talk to about this is a man named Cullen Pembroke. He is N.Q.'s grandson and he's the manager of the Rat's Mouth Inn in Hogsmeade. _

_- Remus_

Ginny read over the note and pursed her lips. "Hmm… It's only five minutes after ten o'clock, you know?"

Harry smiled at her. "You read my mind. Logan, Agape and I are about to meet at the Rat's Mouth to talk to this bloke, while the rest of them watch Jett. We just needed to take a short break after everything."

His wife heaved herself off of her stool and padded back to the refrigerator. "Then you go take a shower and I'll make you something to eat before you go."

He chuckled, kissing her in thanks on his way out of the room.

_(OMG guys, this one was a heifer! So much for having more time to write this summer - if anything I've had less time. But if I don't get hired somewhere soon, I'll have loads of chances to finish this puppy!)_


	8. Chapter 7 Punks and Miscreants

Chapter Seven

Punks and Miscreants

1

Harry didn't often see the southernmost corner of Hogsmeade – mostly because it wasn't as popular as the main drag and it wasn't part of any underground Optimates lair. This part of town was a quiet, neutral area and its largest business was The Rat's Mouth pub and inn.

The Rat's Mouth was nothing like what Madam Rosemerta could provide in an inn, but it was leagues ahead of The Hog's Head.

Agape and Logan were waiting for him outside the pub doors when he walked up. "Everything go okay at your headquarters after I left?" Harry asked Logan.

The man nodded. "They're making some plans to keep me from getting arrested, and Jett is in the safe house with Gus guarding her."

Harry was pleased with that. He peered at Agape, who looked as though she'd like to go home. "Are you okay?" he asked.

It seemed like she was going to nod but changed her mind and shook her head instead. "Did I really screw up that badly tonight?" she blurted.

"It wouldn't be your fault," Logan reminded her. "The BT would have busted me out with or without you."

"But really – if I were an Auror – would I be in trouble right now?" Her eyes begged honesty from Harry, though he couldn't have lied to her anyhow.

"Yes, you would," he admitted. "But you didn't do all that bad. You just let the situation get out of your control. You live, you learn."

She must not have thought of her blunder in that context before now, but seeing it in a different light seemed to do the trick. She straightened some and her anxious face relaxed. A person never considers their mistakes a lesson until later in life.

"Ready now?" Harry said, giving her half a grin.

"Yes," she answered. "This part I can do."

"Yeah, all you do is ask questions," Harry teased as the three of them walked into the pub.

Inside The Rat's Mouth was a moderate crowd, all contributing to the comfortable chatter of the room. It wasn't a bad place really, if you weren't looking for excitement.

Harry glanced around and walked up to the bar but did not sit down, Agape and Logan on either side. The man behind the bar had his back turned to them as he restocked the alcohol on the shelves. He was wearing an old black tee-shirt with _Guinness_ spelled out in green letters on the back and his long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. A gleam on the right side of his jeans revealed a chain connected to a wallet in his back pocket.

Agape was watching the barman with little interest when Harry turned to her. He was about to speak but was distracted as something suddenly caught the woman's attention and brought out her prettiest smile. Harry followed her gaze and found that the bartender had turned around.

He was very handsome and young – probably a few years younger than Agape actually. He smiled back at her charmingly as he wiped off the counter with a towel. Harry noticed he wore a leather band around each wrist, one studded and the other embossed with a skull. He was of the punk persuasion, no doubt. "What can I git yer?" he said in a thick Dublin accent.

"Well," Agape began, still smiling broadly, but Harry cut her off.

"Nothing, thanks."

The young man looked at Harry and immediately recognized him. "Nothin'?" he asked as some suspicion crossed his visage.

"We'd like to talk to the manager," Harry told him. "Is he here?"

"You're talkin' ter 'im," the man replied.

"Oh," said Harry, slightly surprised. "Then you're Cullen Pembroke?"

"I am. But if 'tis about de inn, you'll 'av ter talk ter de owners."

"No, we're not concerned with the inn," Harry assured him. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

Pembroke eyed him for a second, understandably apprehensive, but eventually he shrugged and agreed.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" Harry inquired.

2

Four students sat around a table in the back of the Rat's Mouth drinking butterbeers, all third years at Hogwarts and members of the Hufflepuff house. The smallest of them was Kyla Potter, a girl with black hair, green eyes, and lots of freckles. She sat between her best friend, Patricia Warren (a talkative blond girl), and Trevor Vaughn (a rusty haired boy who was anything _but_ talkative). The second boy, named Lamont Maynard Brillhart III (or "Monty") dwarfed them all in height and girth and sat with his slouched back to the door.

Tricia was talking about nothing in particular – leading the conversation as usual – when Kyla's eyes suddenly went wide. Her father had just walked into the pub and if it hadn't been for Monty's considerable size blocking her from view, he would have looked right at her.

"Duck!" she cried before disappearing beneath the table.

"What?" said a confused Tricia.

"I said get down!" Kyla pulled her friend underneath the table with her and glared at their other friends until they followed suit.

"What's up?" Tricia asked, slightly annoyed.

"My dad is over there talking to the bartender," Kyla hissed, brushing her black hair out of her eyes so she could see her father better from beneath the tabletop.

"What's he doing here?" Tricia whispered excitedly. "Is he going to arrest someone? Oh, I hope he's not arresting Cullen – he's too cute to go to Azkaban."

Monty gave the blond girl a peculiar look and asked, "Is that the kind of boy you like?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Do you think McGonagall would send him to look for us if she knew we were here?" Kyla wondered, slightly panicky.

Trevor leaned to the side to peer around Monty. Mr. Potter and two others were following the bartender into the back.

"That's Logan!" he exclaimed before asking Kyla, "What's he doing with your dad? And who is the woman?"

"Her name is Agape. She used to be my dad's assistant," Kyla explained. "She's training to be an Auror now, though."

"Looks like they want to talk in private," Trevor pointed out.

"What if he is arresting Cullen?" Tricia hissed in a stricken voice. "Someone told me he used to sell drugs, but maybe I was wrong when I told them to stuff it. I'll be really mad if he does get taken away – he's the coolest bartender in Hogsmeade!"

Kyla rolled her eyes and Monty seemed rather dejected. Trevor raised his eyebrow at their friend, saying, "How well do you know the bartenders in Hogsmeade?"

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Oh, you know what I mean! He's the only one who lets us come in here after dark when it's not a Hogsmeade weekend."

"Look, we have to get out of here," Kyla insisted. "If I get caught, I'm dead. And if any of you get caught, my Dad will know I was here, so I'll be dead anyway. Let's just go."

The four teenagers shuffled out from under the table and headed for the door, only to find that Mr. Potter and party had not gone out of sight. They were standing just beyond the doorway in the small courtyard behind the building.

Kyla flung herself against the wall to keep out of sight, stopping her friends as well. "Ugh!" she seethed. "He _would_ be facing the door so he could keep an eye on the pub. Stupid Auror training!"

"There's a back door near the bathrooms," Trevor suggested.

"But it says 'Employees Only'," Monty argued, winning little notice from the others.

"Yeah. That's better," Tricia agreed. "Come on."

3

Harry and his companions stood around Cullen Pembroke in the moonlit courtyard. The Auror faced the open door, keeping an eye on the pub just in case.

"What ye want ter talk about?" Cullen asked them.

"We're looking for a vampire," Logan said grimly.

Harry nodded and elaborated, "We need to know about Nolan Quentin, Mr. Pembroke."

"It's Cullen," he said. "An' who tol' yer I know Nolan Quentin?"

Agape answered him much more warmly than she normally would during an interview, "Remus Lupin said we should come to you for information about him."

Cullen rolled his eyes at the mention of Remus's name. "Ah. So _he_ sent you 'ere?"

Harry hadn't heard someone take that tone about Remus since Severus Snape was still fighting for the Dark Arts job at Hogwarts.

"He said you were related to Quentin," Harry said. "Are you?"

Cullen scoffed. "Not me choice, I assure ye. 'E's me grandfather."

"Well, we don't know much about him, so we could use your help," Harry told him.

"I don't t'ink I 'av de kind of informashun you're lookin' for. De last t'ing we 'ad in common wus our accent, an' now 'e's dropped dat too."

"When did you last talk to him?" Harry proceeded.

"A year, almost two years ago," Cullen answered.

"How long has he been a vampire?"

"Two years."

"How old is your grandfather?"

Cullen thought for a moment, a frown line appearing between his brows that reminded Harry of Remus ironically.

"Ninety-four, I t'ink."

"Why would he choose to become a vampire so late in life?" Agape said curiously.

Cullen grinned cynically as he replied, "He didn't like bein' auld anymore. 'E'd lost all 'is charms. Apparently, if a vampire drinks enoof blood he can regain 'is youth."

As Cullen said this, Logan (who was facing him) saw a door open some distance behind the young man and a boy with rusty brown hair poked his head out. Logan instantly recognized Trevor, the youngest Blood Traitor. Another head, this one a black haired girl, stuck out just below Trevor's, but when they spotted the four adults standing in the courtyard their eyes went wide. Knowing full well they shouldn't be there, Logan gave them a glare. The girl shoved Trevor back through the door and closed it silently.

"It would take a lot of blood to do that," Logan commented, hoping not to give the kids away even if they were out of school.

"Dat wouldn't 'assle 'im," Cullen retorted, shrugging.

"Would he kidnap a little girl?" Harry asked, getting down to business.

"I wouldn' put it past 'im if he got somethin' he wanted in return." Cullen's tone was growing darker by the minute. He obviously did not like hearing about what his grandfather had been up to.

"What do you think he'd want in exchange? Money? A favor?"

"Yeah, somethin' like dat maybe. Who did he take?"

"My daughter, Liberty Kimber," Logan said dourly.

Cullen gave the werewolf a genuinely sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I knew he wus in scratcher wi' de Neos, but I never knew what he wus up ter."

"Why do you think Remus would send us to you?" Harry pondered half to Cullen and half to himself.

"Proobably 'cos I wus de last person Nolan talked ter before he vanished." The sour tone was back in the bartender's voice, but it was hard to tell whether it was from the thought of Quentin or Remus.

"So you haven't seen him recently – even in passing," Agape asked.

"No. An' I don't want ter."

"When you talked last, did he mention where he might be headed or working in the future," Harry went on.

Cullen thought hard for a moment, and then his face lit. "Yeah! He mentioned somethin' about Wales – said he wus workin' for two bosses."

"Where in Wales?" Logan demanded.

"I don't know. Wi' other Vampires I guess…" He frowned as his sentence trailed off. "'Ang on. His auld assistant might know."

"Assistant?" said Agape. "Vampires have assistants?"

"More like an indentured servant," Cullen answered.

Harry nodded, "Humans who serve vampires they're indebted to."

"Right. 'Er name's Renée. Nolan 'borrowed' 'er from another vampire but broke their contract when he attacked 'er. She lives 'round 'ere nigh. I'll see if I can git 'er in de fireplace."

He turned away from the door to the pub and aimed for the other back door Logan had just seen the students disappear through. As they followed Cullen inside, Logan took out his mobile phone and sent a quick text message. If Alton had gotten anything right, it was his idea to mesh Muggle technology with Magic.

4

"Omigod! Omigod! Are you sure they didn't see you," Tricia babbled rapidly as they dashed back the way they came.

"Logan did. But that only means _I'm_ dead," Trevor said quickly, grabbing her hand to pull her along the back hallway faster.

The physical contact seemed to have a shutting-up effect on Tricia, which Kyla was immensely grateful for. Her blond friend tended to get even more talkative when she was panicked.

They skidded to a halt right before they reentered the dining area. Kyla peered into the open room cautiously. If her dad was still in the courtyard he would see them leave – she needed an escape plan and Monty breathing heavily down her neck was not helping her think.

"Hey, why do you have a mobile?" said Tricia suddenly. Kyla and Monty looked around to see Trevor looking down at a cellular phone.

The words on the tiny screen said: _Get back to school NOW!_

"It's from Logan," Trevor told them.

Then the door they had just bolted from opened and Cullen came inside followed by Mr. Potter.

"Go!" Kyla desperately hissed to her friends, and they sprinted around tables and chairs until they were safely out of the building.

Once they had run back to the main drag of Hogsmeade, they paused near the Post office to catch their breaths.

"Can we go one week where we don't have to run away from some place we're not supposed to be?" Monty wheezed as he clutched a stitch in his side.

Kyla laughed, and Tricia did too. The elation of not being caught soon spread to all of them and even Trevor – the noticeably least winded of the four – grinned as he texted Logan back:

_Yes Sir. Going. Sorry._

5

Cullen bowed close to the fireplace as an attractive face appeared in the flames.

"_Bonjour_, Cullen!" Renée said pleasantly. Agape had to hold back a groan as she heard a French accent coming out of yet another gorgeous woman. "What's up?"

"I need ter ask yer somethin', Renée," Cullen said. "It's about Nolan."

The woman's reply came in a vicious hiss: "_J'en ai rien à foutre de ce salaud_!"

"I know, I know," Cullen said, his voice placating. "But it's important. 'E's taken dis man's daughter." He gestured to Logan. "Do yer know anythin' about vampire communities in Wales?"

"Zere are several," she answered, "but I theenk a _fathead_ like Nolan would probably go to a place in Cardeeff called _Cruenta_. It's a haven for Vampires."

"Where in Cardiff?" Logan asked urgently, bending down on the hearth beside Cullen.

"It is 'idden near ze church on St. John Street."

"Are you sure that's where he would stay?" Harry asked.

Renée gave him a tedious look. "Only ze most arrogant vampires would congregate just outside ze walls of a holy place. I can't imagine a more fitting place for Nolan."

Cullen looked up at him and nodded.

Harry regarded Agape and Logan. Their visages wore matching dogged expressions and he saw no reason to disagree with them. "Thank you both," he said to the young man and woman. "You've been a huge help."

Logan caught Cullen's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Yes. Thank you so much – and you Renée."

"Be sure to tell him 'ho sent you," the French woman added, the spark in her eyes more than a reflection of the flames around her. With a pop she vanished.

"Can we use your fireplace?" asked Agape.

6

The Blood Traitor headquarters was nowhere near as enveloped in chaos as it was just a day before. In fact it was now scarcely inhabited. There were only three people in the room and one of them had fallen asleep at her desk. Payton Fenton breathed deeply as she slumbered, her short hair going through various states of scruffiness each time she moved her head within the cradle of her arms. Her companions were still at work at desks behind her, though they were only slightly more productive.

Ferris Thorpe sat with exhausted eyes before the same computer he had been staring at since early that morning. Beside him, in a similar condition of ocular haze and frustration, was Celeste Haywood with her laptop. They had been told to do a number of things by a number of people, who were supposedly in charge. However, between the tasks Alton had given them, the requests Logan had begged of them, and Roman's commands (each more snappish than the last), not much had been accomplished. Payton and Sydney had tried to help them at one point – however it wasn't long before Syd and Celeste had a disagreement and the younger girl stormed off to her room. As Payton was mute and thus a virtually silent worker, she didn't test Celeste's nerves and had stayed on task until she had run out of things to do.

Ferris rubbed his blue green eyes, letting them rest for a moment as he simultaneously arched his back in a massive stretch. He stared blankly into space for a moment before an outburst from Celeste startled him back to cognizance.

"Ugh! We have files on so many Optimates, but not one on this Jett person," the plump woman fumed. "Even in previous missions, none of us have as much as glimpsed her. Why does Roman want to know about her so badly?"

Ferris sighed, caring little for what Roman wanted, but Celeste had a point. "I don't know. Maybe it's because she spooked him so badly this evening."

Celeste was not appeased. "I don't get it, though. What's up with those scars on his wrists? He's had them since before I joined the BT. I thought he got them when he was fighting for the Neos."

Ferris narrowed his eyes at his computer screen. "He got them when he broke out of Azkaban and took the worst inmates with him," he said.

"But he was forced to do that wasn't he?"

"Yes. He was the distraction. But no one _told_ him to butcher his wrists." Ferris didn't usually talk about his teammates this way, but he had a particular dislike for Roman and all things related to him.

Celeste was looking at him, shocked into stillness. Not so much from the way he was acting (everyone was well aware he and Roman disliked each other) but from what he had just revealed.

"Are you saying he slit his own wrists? On purpose?" she said tensely. "How come I didn't know this?"

"Because we're not supposed to talk about it," Ferris replied flatly. "It's a… sore spot between him and Jules."

To her credit, Celeste asked no more questions and let the subject drop.

Ferris's mobile rang. He snatched it up from his desktop and answered it immediately when he saw who was calling.

"Jules?"

Celeste perked up curiously, almost as anxious to hear from their leader as he was. Ferris had barely slept for the past week, wondering if his girlfriend was okay and what was keeping her from the Blood Traitors.

"Ferris" said Jules on the other line. "Who's in the room with you?"

He thought this was a strange question, but her voice sounded edgy and hurried, so he answered immediately: "Celeste and Payton. Are you alri-"

"Do you know where Roman is?" Jules interrupted.

"No. He left about an hour ago."

Jules swore angrily. "Listen. Something is happening – something catastrophic."

"What? Jules, what do you-"

"Listen!" she hissed urgently. "Don't let Roman back into headquarters."

"I don't understand…"

"Just don't!"

7

St. John Street was nearly deserted as Harry, Agape, and Logan stepped onto the pavement. It was too late for the Muggle tourist shops to be open and while Cardiff's nightlife thrived elsewhere, this street was presently ignored.

They reached the curve of the street and Harry stopped, wondering where this _Cruenta_ place was supposed to be. St. John's Church loomed over them from the right and a closed restaurant to the left. It couldn't be far.

"You are searching for a vampire," stated an amused voice nearby.

The three of them whirled toward the church in search of the voice, but only Agape could see well enough to find the owner. She exhaled in relief and grumbled, "Just what we need, another Frenchie."

Yvette Montalais stepped forward out of the shadow of St. John's with a smirk tugging at her beautiful lips and revealing her white fangs. Her eyes seemed to have an unnatural iridescence in the dim light of the nearest streetlamp. "I am right, no?" the vampire asked. "What else would two Ministry dogs and a vigilante be doing at this place so late? Certainly not going to mass."

"Well, Renée was right when she said only the most arrogant vampires come here," Agape said, only half teasing.

"We didn't expect to see anyone we knew," Harry told her. "Maybe you can help us."

"Can you show us where _Cruenta_ is?" Logan asked.

Yvette gave him a lazy smile as she moved forward and kissed his cheeks. "Anything for my wolf – even if you did bring the Auror and the Amazon."

As Agape glowered at her, the vampire passed them and lead the way into an alley just across the street. Nearing the end of the alleyway, she stopped and pointed one of her lacquered fingernails down an opening in the concrete against one of the brick walls on either side of them. It was the entrance to someone's basement or old stock room – little more than a rectangular hole accommodated with a very steep, narrow staircase. Harry peered down it but could see or hear nothing at the end of the steps. Yvette just smiled serenely at him, waiting for the three of them to act.

"Do you know if Nolan Quentin is in there?" Agape asked her.

Yvette raised a delicately arched eyebrow. "You'll have to ask someone else that question. All I know is that he has been around town within the last few days."

That was good enough for Harry. He descended the stairs quickly and heard his companions trailing him. Yvette did not follow them.

There was no door at the bottom, just a sharply twisting hall that eventually ended at the mouth of a large room. The space was dimly lit – so much so that Harry had a hard time seeing anything. Wherever there was a torch or candle the flames were pure white and flickering, casting weird shadows across the pale faces of the room's inhabitants as they sat in booths or stood along the walls. The only conversations were spoken in whispers, filling the place with hisses and low mutterings.

There was a visible bar with a person serving refreshments of some sort. It was the most well lit area of the entire room, so that's where Harry headed, not slowing down. Several pairs of unearthly eyes followed the three humans as they walked, but most were preoccupied with other endeavors.

Upon reaching the bar, Harry stubbed his toe against the stone side, but the fumble managed to catch the attention of the woman behind the counter. Her gaunt face was bathed in the light of two torches on either side of her. She looked like she had been around fourteen when she became a vampire – her face was very young, and despite how much she dressed like a tart her body seemed underdeveloped.

"I have nothing for you to drink," she told them right away.

"We're not here for that," Harry replied.

"Then you had better state your business fast. My customers don't take well to humans in my lounge," she warned, coming across as much older than she looked.

Harry leaned over the counter, and she obliged by coming closer to hear what he had to say. A bit too close in fact – she practically pressed her cheek against his and he was well aware of how close she was to his neck at her height.

"Can you take me to Nolan Quentin," he asked in a low voice. He didn't necessarily want everyone in the room to know who he was looking for.

He pulled away from her first and she gave him an appraising glance. "If I tell you, are you going to take him away?"

Harry nodded soberly.

"This aught to be interesting," she commented with a sneer that showed off her extraordinarily long fangs. "Come with me."

Harry was surprised and rather distrustful of how quickly she agreed to assist a bunch of humans, but he followed nonetheless.

They ended up going deeper underground before the young-looking vampire paused at a door, which was illuminated by a mounted candelabrum and painted a suspiciously dark red color. She opened the door and entered the room with the three of them.

Inside it was as poorly lit as everywhere else, so Harry, fed up, pointed his wand at the nearest torch and replaced the soft white flames with something more robust. The four male vampires sitting in conference around the table within squinted momentarily in the bright light.

"What's going on Tryphenia?" said one of the men to the proprietress.

"These people are here for Quentin," the small woman said, crossing her arms and standing out of the way.

Three of the men turned disgruntled gazes upon said culprit.

Nolan Quentin appeared to be middle-aged (which is quite a feat considering he started off at ninety-four) and had unkempt silver hair. His eyes narrowed at them as his dark lips twisted into a grimace of disgust.

"By 'here for Quentin' I assume you mean to cart me off," he drawled to Tryphenia. "What is it I'm supposed to have done this time?"

Harry knew Logan could barely hold himself back, so he left it to him to answer.

"You took my daughter, you _bastard_," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Nolan was no less nonchalant than before. He leaned back in his chair and observed Logan through bored eyes as he said, "And you are?"

Logan was an arms length away from Nolan in three quick strides; his wand in his hand and ready to strike. "I'm the one who'll make you much less _un_dead if you don't tell me where Liberty is."

Nolan was unimpressed by the man's threat, but his upper lip curled as his aversion deepened. "I smell dog on you, boy-o. I can't believe what trash they let in here."

"Tell us where the girl is, Quentin," Harry calmly commanded.

The vampire turned smugly to his companions who were getting to their feet. "You won't suffer a werewolf in _Cruenta_, will you gentlemen?"

Harry and Agape watched the three standing vampires warily, but none of them made a move. Apparently they were less likely to suffer Nolan than a werewolf in their lounge.

"These matters don't concern us, Quentin," one said gruffly. "You chose a side – and now we who are unaffiliated must leave you to deal with your choice."

Nolan's eyes widened in shocked indignation as his cohorts left him to fend for himself. He focused more clearly on Logan's extended wand then.

"Where is she?" Logan repeated, menace creeping into his voice.

His eyes darting nervously around the room as the wand tip neared his throat, Nolan finally nodded. "Alright, you shitehound. If you need to save her so badly, I'll tell you."

"Logan," Agape warned, knowing as well as Harry that Nolan was very dangerous even with a wand pointed at him. His jerky movements were too theatric to be true nervousness.

"Tell me," Logan snarled, not backing down.

Suddenly, Nolan was relaxed and the smirk returned to his face as he shrugged. "As you wish."

He moved so suddenly that Logan's hex bounced harmlessly off the wall. Suddenly vampire and werewolf were face to face and Nolan's nails had raked deep gashes into Logan's left cheek. Both Harry and Agape shot spells but missed the inhumanly swift vampire. He soon had Logan turned about-face with his claws digging into the man's neck, using him as a shield.

Logan's lips were drawn back in a snarl of rage and pain as Nolan squeezed his larynx. Baring his own teeth, the vampire put his mouth next to Logan's ear and hissed, "Your whelp is under the same bloody hill in Betws-y-Coed where Morrigan has been stuffing kids since last year."

"Let him go, Quentin," Harry demanded, counting down ten seconds for the vampire to obey before he retaliated.

Nolan ignored him and spoke to Logan again: "I hope she hasn't starved to death yet." He snickered nastily, but was suddenly drowned out by another noise. A strangled growl was growing steadily louder in Logan's throat. Harry and Agape paused for a moment unsure of what they were hearing.

Then Logan's canine teeth elongated. Nolan looked much more genuinely concerned than he had before, but he didn't loosen his grip. Logan's hand (that wasn't being twisted behind his back) struck Nolan's side without warning, nails digging through clothes and into flesh. The vampire's eyes became huge and stricken with pain as a dull snap resounded in everyone's ears.

Nolan cried out and lost his grip on Logan. The Blood Traitor got out of the way and Harry quickly shot Nolan with a spell that would impede his movement. The vampire fell against the wall clutching his side and shouting, "My ribs! Damn you! You pulled my ribs out!"

Indeed, two of his lower ribs had been snapped and ripped through the skin.

Logan ignored him and gasped for air as he held his gored neck with a clawed hand. Agape stepped over to him, but seemed undecided about actually touching him. "Logan… Are you alright?"

Harry told Nolan he was under arrest – as if he didn't already know – and shackled his hands. Still unable to move very freely and in pain, he didn't put up much of a fight. The Auror then turned to join Agape.

Logan, evidently calm now, was staring uneasily at his blood covered fingernails, which had somehow turned into tools ideal for rending. Agape cleaned up the lacerations on his cheek and neck with her wand.

He peered up at Harry. "I don't understand," he said, his voice hoarse after being choked for so long. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Harry answered, shaking his head. "Looks like your werewolf side may have tried to save your butt."

Logan frowned at the floor. "Libby," he said after a moment. "We have to get to her."

"Are you sure he was telling the truth?" Agape pointed out.

"Oh, she's there," Nolan snarled from the wall. "I stuck her in that hellhole myself. I hope she's a rotting corpse by now – just like you're going to be if you try to save her!" His eyes swiveled toward the open door where Tryphenia still stood, watching the show. "And what about you, little miss? What are you playing, bringing the Ministry in here? Your customers will never forget this!"

"Just like you, Quentin," said the small vampire with some amusement, "always overestimating your importance. I serve vampires here, not Optimates."

"You think the three men I was talking to weren't Optimates?" Nolan demanded as Harry approached him again and pulled him to his feet to leave.

"They've never brought trouble to my business before," Tryphenia retorted.

Agape and Logan preceded Harry out of the room while he guided Nolan in front of him.

Tryphenia's child hand touched his shoulder lightly to catch his attention. "Never come here again," she said, though not unpleasantly, "but contact me if you need a favor in the future. I owe you for getting this scum out of my lounge."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond, so he didn't. He pushed Nolan out of the room and marched him past the watchful eyes of the nospheratu before they emerged into the open alleyway.

Yvette was waiting for them, managing to sit gracefully atop a trashcan. "Good job," was all she said.

_The pace is finally picking up! And at last, blood and gore!!! )_


	9. Chapter 8 False Guises

Chapter Eight

False Guises

1

"Okay, maybe we should stick to the kitchens if we really want a butterbeer," Kyla Potter conceded to her friends as they walked back toward the entrance to the school grounds. "I just figured a little adventure would be fun."

"That was more than a little adventure," Monty griped. "That was nearly getting us expelled."

Kyla scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic. Kids don't get expelled for sneaking to Hogsmeade once."

"What if they've done it five times this semester?" Tricia asked with a mischievous grin.

"What they don't know, won't hurt us," Kyla replied smartly. The two girls giggled.

"Hagrid!" Trevor whispered urgently as he suddenly spotted the huge old man lumbering out of the Hogwarts gates. "Hide!"

They all dove to the right, but to little avail. Hagrid spotted their figures and shouted, "Oi! Who's 'at?"

The kids bolted up a path, which lead to the train station. Hagrid didn't move very fast these days, so all they had to do was get out of sight before he could see where they had run. The trees skirting the meandering lane gave them just enough refuge to escape, but they didn't stop until they reached the railway platform.

The Hufflepuffs collapsed against the sturdy wood structure to rest, panting worse than ever. The adventure was loosing its charm for all of them.

"We just can't catch a break tonight," Tricia complained. "I hope Hagrid doesn't wait around the gates for long."

Trevor nodded in agreement and peered around the platform, finding the big red steam engine parked on the other side. "Hey," he said, walking to the stairs and climbing up to the station floor, "I didn't know the Hogwarts Express stayed here the whole time."

"Careful," Tricia warned. "There's probably some sort of guard around who wouldn't want you up there."

Kyla said something to her blond friend that Trevor didn't hear. He walked along the platform, running his eyes over the sleek train and marveling at how inanimate it seemed in the dark. He was used to seeing the engine belch steam like a restless dragon ready to transport and protect its young cargo.

He gradually made his way toward the end of the train, casually taking in his surroundings and the huge metal machine beside him. He looked through each space were the cars connected, seeing only trees and the occasional streetlamp on the other side. It wasn't until he had reached the second to last car that he saw a man standing in one of the spaces, staring at him.

Trevor gasped and leapt back, tripping in his haste and tumbling to the platform. He fumbled to reach his wand as he heard the man's shoes hit the wood as well and approach him. Finally grasping his wand he spun around and aimed it at the stranger.

There was a moment when they both froze, Trevor in fright, the other in caution. Then he saw the man's face more clearly.

"R-Roman?" he stammered, still shaken.

"It's good to see you staying on your toes, _bambino_." He responded, leaning down and hooking a hand around the boy's arm to help him up.

"You surprised me," Trevor stated, putting his wand away.

The Italian didn't apologize. "You shouldn't leave the school," he said flatly. "Hogsmeade isn't a safe place anymore. I've told you that."

"But why were you on the train? Is something wrong?"

"I'm looking after things," Roman said, offering no further explanation.

There was a silence that grew awkward for Trevor, but apparently not for Roman.

Finally the man said, "You should go back."

This being the second Blood Traitor to tell him that in the past hour, Trevor nodded and started to leave, but paused to turn back. It occurred to him what Tricia had said just minutes before. "Isn't there a guard around somewhere?"

Roman didn't answer immediately. A shadow seemed to pass over his face.

"No guards can keep me away, _bambino_," he said.

A chill settled over Trevor as they watched each other for another moment. It was the same sort of feeling he used to get in the presence of the Neos after he was tested on.

"Trevor?" said a girl's voice, distracting him.

The boy spun around to discover a light being shined in his eyes by his friend's wand.

"Sorry," said Tricia, lowering the light so he could see. "Are you ready to go?"

Trevor hesitated, glancing over his shoulder to look back at Roman. However, the man had vanished and only the stationary Express was behind him.

"Yeah," he answered at last. "The sooner we get back the better."

He walked back to the school with his housemates, feeling quite disconcerted and wondering how his family of vigilantes were fairing at the moment.

2

Remus Lupin returned to his office, Yates following on his heels – still convinced he had helped Logan Bireley escape.

"You were distracting me the entire time," she pointed out.

"Not on purpose," Remus retorted, sitting behind his desk as Yates leaned over it to stay in his face. When he pulled out his quill, she put both hands over the paper he was getting ready to write on.

"I know you're his friend, Remus. And I find it quite odd that you would be on the scene as soon as he was arrested," she persisted.

Remus stared her straight in the eye and calmly said, "Listen Rhonwen. Tonight you have yelled at my daughter, personally insulted me, and accused me of breaking the law. Now, if you'd like to be reasonable, I'm perfectly willing to talk with you – but if you don't get your hands off my desk, I will gladly remove you from my office."

Yates narrowed her wrinkled lids at him. "Reasonable? I think you know me well enough to know that I'm actually using quite a bit of restraint in this situation. Bireley's behavior alone incriminates him. He resisted arrest and he became a fugitive, knowing all the while that it would go on his record. A mark up like that would severely impede even the best behaved werewolf later – even if he's found innocent. Now, perhaps you should reconsider who's being unreasonable."

"You are, Rhonwen," said Harry, suddenly standing in the doorway with a silver haired vampire, "as always."

He stepped into the room, shoving the vampire inside before him. "I've got your man right here. His name is Nolan Quentin and Agape and I found him in Cardiff, thanks to a tip from Bireley himself."

"What?" squawked Yates.

Remus stood so abruptly his chair nearly toppled over. He stared intensely at Quentin.

"Hello, Remus," Nolan growled, grinning unpleasantly. "How's your wife?"

Lupin didn't take the bait.

"Did Bireley talk to you in person?" Yates demanded of Harry.

"No, I'm assuming he knows you sent the dogs after him, so he sent us the tip," Harry lied quickly. "He says you refused to talk to him, Rhonwen. Said that's why he resisted and broke out of your office. I guess he needed to talk to someone with a slight bit of rationality left in them."

"Are you implying-"

"That you're infirm? Of course not – I have too much respect for my elders to say such a thing. But anyhow, I think you'd probably like to talk to this fellow here, as he is quite important to your case." He flattened his palm against Nolan's back and practically shoved him into Yate's arms.

The old woman glowered at the vampire, who gave her an equally nasty look in return. She leaned around him to arch an eyebrow at the smart aleck Auror. "I want to put your report on this with mine tomorrow morning, Potter," she said sternly, though apparently appeased. "I'll take care of this one," she added and gestured to Nolan, "if Remus doesn't mind."

"I'll have plenty of time to talk to him later," Lupin told her, staring meaningfully at the vampire all the while.

After Nolan was escorted out, Harry made sure woman and vampire were all the way down the hall before closing the door and turning to Remus.

"Alright, two questions," he said, sitting on the edge of the chair in front of Remus's desk. The older man relaxed some and sat down as well. "Firstly: How do you know Quentin?"

Lupin sighed hugely and when he next spoke, it sounded as though he were summarizing a very long story. "He hurt my wife once, among other things. We've been trying to catch him since. He hates my family because we're connected to the man I sent you to speak to."

This reminded Harry of the way Pembroke had reacted to Remus's name. "Yeah – this wasn't one of my questions, but who the heck is that Cullen kid, and why does he hate you?"

Another sigh escaped Remus's lips. "Cullen is going to be my future son-in-law," he explained. "And since his grandfather hates him, he wants to hurt everything he loves – that includes my daughter and her family."

Harry's jaw dropped. "Little Lenore is getting _married_? And to some punk no less! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Can you blame me for hoping she wouldn't go through with it?" Remus said guiltily.

Harry pondered how he would feel if his own daughter were marrying the long-haired, bad-boy bartender. "No I guess I can't. But Pembroke was very helpful. We couldn't have found Quentin without him."

"What was your original second question?" Remus asked, changing the subject.

"Right," said Harry, remembering. "Well, it's really Logan's question. You see, Nolan tried to strangle him and he kind of wolfed out a little… He's fine now, but the claws and fags haven't gone back to normal. He wondered if you knew anything about this kind of thing."

Remus's eyes were wide with concern. "He must have been very angry to trigger a transformation. There are so few studies done for werewolves, it's hard to say whether or not he'll _ever_ go back to normal. Greyback never did."

"If his life were threatened again, could he become fully transformed without a full moon," Harry inquired.

He was quite relieved when Remus shook his head. "No, I don't think that's possible. However, there's no way to tell how much he could change while human – if he doesn't get a hold of himself, even his personality could change."

"That's happened already," Harry pointed out. "I've never seen him act that way before. When I threatened to arrest him back in December, he did everything I asked."

Remus shook his head again. "The way he acted before was the change – sounds like he's reverting back to his old self now. Before he was bitten he ran an entire company; he was an assertive, confident leader. This is just his personality going back to normal."

Harry nodded, understanding. Then, as his questions had been dealt with, the most pressing matter on his mind returned. "Well, I told Agape to be careful around him, just the same. I sent them on ahead to scout out the place Quentin said Liberty was, but I need some help with this one. I'm going to have the Blood Traitors with me, but I feel like we'll need some extra hands."

"Where should we meet you?"

3

"When is she coming back?" Alton asked urgently. He had walked into the room less than a minute ago to find Ferris on the phone with Julissa and immediately barraged him with questions. "Is she coming back tomorrow? Sooner? Maybe an hour? I can wait an hour."

"She says 'no and shut up,'" Ferris barked. Then he turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "What's going on, Jules? What's catastrophic?"

"It's about Potter's case," she said quickly. "He sent me a note that Roman was supposed to give to me – but he didn't."

"Then how do you know about it?"

"Howard got hold of it and was taunting me with it," she answered, her voice taking on a bitter quality when she mentioned her husband, Howard Dante. "He said Roman is in charge of – of… Ugh! I can't say. But Roman has been lying to everyone. Ferris, people are in danger."

"Who?"

"Oi!" called Celeste, "Harry's here."

Potter came down the steps two at a time, carrying a brick. "We found out where Liberty is," he said, his face set. "Logan and Agape are checking the area out right now, but we need to get there fast." He held up the brick in plain sight, saying, "I brought a portkey to take us to Betws-y-Coed."

Alton suddenly turned all business. "Call everyone, Celeste," he said before whirling back to Ferris. "Tell her we found Libby. Can she help?"

Ferris nodded, "Jules?"

"I heard him – and I'm sorry but I'm stuck. Howard has me trapped here. I was lucky to find my phone after he hid it." She paused in thought before swiftly saying, "Ferris, you know this is a trap."

"Yes," he admitted.

A soft crackling started growing through the line as Jules said, "Tell Alton not… att…"

"Jules? Jules!"

She swore vehemently on the other end, but Ferris could tell the phone was breaking up – something that was never supposed to happen on Alton's magic hybrids. "Say it quick!"

"Go… n… aves! In waves!"

The connection broke.

"Well?" Alton demanded, looking ready for another fight.

"I think she said 'Go in waves,' " he responded, frowning deeply. "Tell Celeste not to call Roman. There's something I have to tell you."

4

Inside of the Blood Traitor's safe house, Augustus Schmitt walked from the tiny kitchen to the living room and sat on the couch with a drink in hand. He didn't often have alcohol, but after infringing on countless laws while breaking Logan out of the Ministry and the misunderstanding with the Order, he felt the time was appropriate. When he heard the bedroom door open he ignored it and kept his back to the hall while taking a good swig from his beer.

"Hey, Nervous-bloke, do you have another of those?"

Gus nearly choked; he hadn't expected her to approach so quietly.

"Sorry," she said, slightly amused. "I didn't realize you were so jumpy."

"That's a lie," he countered good-naturedly. "There's no way you _couldn't_ have noticed. Not after all the flinching I did tonight."

"Okay, I did notice. You're in the wrong line of work."

"That's indeed true. And yes, I do have another," he said in response to her first question before pointing his wand toward the kitchen and levitating a second beer to her.

She wrapped her fingers around the offered bottle and joined him on the couch.

Only then did he realize she had conjured herself some clothes to replace the Azkaban robes. She now wore unfastened black robes over a blouse and a long, flowing skirt. She looked so immensely different and strangely casual; he might not have recognized her if it weren't for her mane of brunet waves and that terrible scar.

He realized he was staring and quickly took another sip of his drink.

She smiled a little. "So, Nervous-bloke, what is this shack? And why can't I leave?"

"It's a safe house, Miss Jett," Gus informed her. "You must either know the safe word or be a Blood Traitor to leave. We're not trying to keep you prisoner, but…"

"You can't risk me sleeping near headquarters, I get it," she finished for him.

"By the way, you can call me Gus, instead of Nervous-bloke," Gus replied, grinning slightly as he adjusted his glasses.

"Right. Gus." She said the name as if she were filing it away in her memory. She eyed his work robes and asked, "How long have you been with the Ministry?"

"Almost eleven years now," he sighed. "I was an assistant to Miguel De la Fuente, Head of Investigations, before he retired and Garrison Moore took his place."

"No kidding? Garry Moore?" she said, her eyebrows shooting up.

Gus was shocked she knew the name. "Yes. Do you know him?"

"Know him? I hate him. How do you work for that tosser?"

Gus uttered his nervous laugh. "Yes, he can be a bit coarse at times. But how do you know him?"

Jett took a draught of her beer before answering, "I – er… I dated an Auror once."

Gus's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Is that right? What was his name?"

"Fairbairn. His name was Fairbairn."

His jaw dropped and he stared at her. She merely took another drink, not looking at him.

"Y-you – you knew Charlton?"

She nodded solemnly. "Before I became… well, you know."

"I'm Charlie's cousin," he told her, leaning closer to look at her better. "When did you two date?"

The woman suddenly looked much less relaxed. After a moment of staring at him with blank indecision, she finally said, "Just before he disappeared."

Gus could tell she had given something away she hadn't meant to. He pondered what it was that would make her so tense about a bit of dating. Then it finally hit him.

"Merlin's beard," he breathed. "You're the Auror… H-he trained you!"

Her head jerked to the side to face him. Her golden eyes were defensive and challenging. "Boy, Charlie told you a lot didn't he?"

"We worked in neighboring departments," he informed her. "He told me all about you. He was very, very fond of you. Wait I remember! Mears! You're name is Mihayla Mears!"

Her jaw clenched and unclenched. "Yes," she snapped bitterly. "You have an absurdly good memory. Do you realize how long it's been since I've heard my real name? I've been underground for so long I could almost drop it completely."

"But, Mihayla," Gus continued, almost plaintively, "why _did_ you go underground? Why are you helping the people that murdered him?"

"I have my reasons."

That wasn't good enough for Gus. Charlton Fairbairn had been a brilliant and brave individual, and his death had been a hard blow to Gus's family. He needed to know why someone so close to his cousin would betray him in such a way. "What reasons? Why Mihayla?"

"Stop calling me that," she snarled.

"Charlie loved you," he persisted. "He wanted to marry you! But you never came to his funeral, you just left. And now you work for _them_? Why?"

She stood and turned away from him, saying angrily, "That wasn't a funeral. You buried an empty casket."

"We could never find his body. They murdered him and threw him away. Why would you help them do these awful things? Were you with them then?"

"No!"

"Then why? What would possess you to do something so foolish?"

She whirled on him and her beautiful features were twisted in fury. "Because, I _had_ to find him!" she shouted. "Unlike the rest of you, I _did_ find his body and I saw what they did to him – I buried him myself so they couldn't hurt him anymore! _That's_ why I joined!"

Two tears ran down her face and she stood there taking shuddering breaths, trying to collect herself. Gus couldn't believe what he was hearing from this woman. It was all so surreal.

"And that's why you really agreed to help us," he concluded, "to work against them?"

"No," she snapped, "to _destroy_ them! To tear them apart until they can never come back." She sat back down on the couch, seemingly loosing steam. "I tracked down everyone who was in that room when Charlton died – that's how I found out about Roman…"

Gus started. "What about him?"

"I've known he was the Ministry's informant for a while," she admitted. "I saw him talking to you several times – or at least I suppose it was you. That's the only reason I didn't get him arrested like I did everyone else who watched Charlie die." She looked bitter, her face dried of tears.

This was more news to Gus's ears. Roman had never told him he had witnessed Charlton's death. However, he hid this fact from Mihayla, reasoning with himself that he had never told Roman his cousin's name, nor had they ever discussed the matter properly. Roman might have no clue who he saw being murdered.

"I can't believe I just said all of that to you," Jett said, slumping down and burying her face in her hands.

"I-I think your secrets are safe here," he told her with a hesitant smile. "I'm just glad we have a few more beers to drown them in."

The pretty woman scoffed derisively. "I've been drowning them for years, and it obviously hasn't helped."

At that moment Darth Vader's theme rang on Gus's mobile phone and he saw Alton's name appear on the tiny screen. "Hello," he said after flipping it open.

"We need you in the basement," Alton said, his voice grim and hurried. "Potter has a portkey to take us to Liberty. Get here as quick as you can."

"I'm o-on my way."

He bounded to the front door in five steps and wrenched the door open, looking at Mihayla over his shoulder one last time.

"Be careful," she said rather awkwardly. "This is just another part of their plan."

5

Betws-y-Coed, nestled in the Conwy valley in Wales, was a place of breathtaking landscapes and streams perfectly formed by nature. With her enhanced eyes, Agape could see its beauty even in the darkness. The closest stream curved around the base of the hill she and Logan sat on and a lovely looking village was not far from the opposite bank. However, the calming atmosphere was ruined by what was hidden beneath the rocky hill.

From what Nolan had smugly confessed, Morrigan – one of the seven leaders of the Optimates – was holding Liberty and possibly other missing children within a dungeon built underground. The vampire told them where to find the entrance, and Harry told them to simply go there and wait.

Currently crouching on the forest floor just beyond an unpaved path, they did just that. Logan dug at the earth with his new claws, too anxious to sit still. He bit at his bottom lip with his sharper teeth and Agape could tell he was holding his breath, a habit he was prone to.

He stared at the supposed entrance they were meant to watch, which consisted of a few crumbling remains of some ancient stone hut. Overrun by ivy and moss, the seemingly harmless place was little more than a handful of lilting walls. Even this dilapidated shack was rather picturesque sitting a few meters off the trail.

"It won't be much longer now," Agape assured Logan softly. "Harry and the others will be here soon."

Logan shook his head in frustration. "She's so close, Agape. If I could just know she was alright…"

"I know," she said. "You can, in just a few minutes. Then we can get her back."

His eyes narrowed ponderingly at the hut, then he peered all around them, as if checking for something. Making up his mind, he stood and moved quietly out of the cover of the surrounding trees.

Agape held back a cry as she lunged forward and caught hold of his wrist. "Wait!" she hissed desperately. "Not yet. Please, just wait like Harry told us."

"Let go of my arm," he growled.

The look on his face was so fierce she immediately obeyed and he stalked toward the hut before she could stop him.

"Logan, please," she implored, following. "I can't let you do this. It's not safe without back up."

"You said they'd be here in a few minutes," he reminded her.

"Exactly!"

"Then they'll be right on our trail."

He kept walking, but Agape stopped and swallowed hard before extending her wand in his direction.

"Logan," she said quietly, but clearly, "don't make me stop you."

The werewolf paused in mid stride and turned halfway back to look at her. He waited, wordlessly calling her bluff. Her brow nit in frustration and she lowered her wand, surrendering.

"Sorry, Agape," he said, beginning to cross the path, "I'm not here to help you pass your first Auror test."

Instantly offended, she went after him. She couldn't very well let him go inside by himself.

They approached the front of the stone hut and simultaneously paused, their ears and eyes straining to detect any hidden sentries who might try to impede them. But there was a deep stillness in the night that told them they were alone.

Agape could look through the small doorway of the shack and see trees where a long ago crumbled back wall should have stood, but there was no sign of a dungeon entrance. Logan cautiously crouched and stepped through the tiny doorway onto the threshold.

Then he was gone.

Agape stood frozen outside, staring wide-eyed at the spot Logan had just been, but all she saw was ivy and trees.

6

Logan found himself standing in a long, narrow space made up of uneven stones and earth. Around a distant bend, there must have been a torch providing him with some light. He moved toward the bend, stealthy and well aware that Agape was not with him. His steps had to be inaudible; surprise would be his only defense as long as he was alone.

The light was finally visible as the hall twisted to the right. Here the walls became more structured and the floor more level. There was another corner within his sight, this one going left. He crept to it and peered around carefully.

A single masked Optimus stood sentinel before a primitive looking slab door. He was facing the wall opposite him, and even from the profile view Logan could see he was quite bored. The man was smaller than the werewolf, and less than a meter away.

Wand in hand, Logan sprang around the corner and tackled the Optimus from the side. Pinning the startled man to the ground, he pressed his arm into his throat and the wand to his forehead.

The man started to shout, but Logan hissed, "_Shut up_! _Drop your wand_!"

His teeth were bared in fury, a string of saliva shining between his lips, and at the sight of his fangs the Optimus tensed and went silent. His wand clattered out of his fingers and across the floor just before he held up his hands in submission.

"Tell me where Liberty Kimber is!" Logan commanded.

"Are y-you a vampire?" the man stuttered, his terrified eyes focused on those thick fangs.

"I'm a werewolf, you little fool," Logan snapped, impatiently. "And if you don't tell me where Liberty is soon, I'm going to see how badly I can carve up your face." For good measure, he gave the man a hard shake.

"Wh-who's Liberty? Who are you?" the Optimus sputtered quickly.

"She's my little girl. I know she's here, now _take me to her_!" He shook him again, pressing his wand down harder.

"Ow!" the Optimus squeaked. "A-all of t-the prisoners are – they're all kept in there!" He frantically pointed toward the stone door held to the wall with massive metal tracks. "If s-she was taken, she's in there! Please! Don't bite me, please!"

Logan did not straighten from his crouch over the masked man, but he lifted his face enough to scowl at the door. "How does it open," he demanded.

"You just slide it open," the Optimus said simply. Logan gave him a livid glower and he added in a whimper: "L-like normal – I swear! Morrigan says if intruders want in, they'll j-just be added to her collection."

Logan pulled him halfway to his feet and snarled, "Take me to my daughter."

The Optimus made a short yelp of horror. "What? No! Please, don't make me go in there!"

A rush of alarm surged through Logan at these words. Was the other side of that door so terrible that even an Optimates would fear going inside? What did that mean for Liberty?

"Besides," the smaller man continued, clutching Logan's shirt pleadingly, "I d-d-don't even know which cell she's in. I'm no use to you, honestly! Morrigan would kill me-"

Logan stunned him in mid sentence and stood up to face the door. It didn't look rigged, or cursed, but none of them did. He decided it was a necessary risk and placed his hand on the rough surface of the stone. Nothing happened, so he hooked his fingers around the sides and heaved the door into motion in the metal tracks until all that was before him was a gaping black space. No hexes, or curses – nothing but another hallway.

He didn't hesitate to step through the doorway into the darkness beyond. He lit his wand to see by and, armed with light, saw that the hall was straight, long, and lined with doors. Many, many doors, each with a single window to peer through.

Logan knew immediately they were cells. A deep, saturating chill settled over him and he had to force himself to keep moving.

Reaching the first little window, he looked inside cell number one. It was empty, and so was number two across the hall. However, his breath caught when he looked into cell number three.

A small filthy form lay on the floor, curled in the corner. It was a young boy, shivering uncontrollably in little more than a pair of shorts. Logan tapped on the glass, earning no response. Even when he banged on the door several times, it seemed the child inside couldn't hear him.

The door wouldn't open and no spells seemed to help. He had to move on. A slightly older girl was hugging her knees in the middle of cell four, also dressed in rags and unable to hear him knocking. The boys in five and six were in similar states and none seemed to hear him in the hall as he moved from one door to the next.

It was nightmarish. They were all so thin and tortured, and Logan felt more helpless with each step. He was both horrified and incensed that anyone would do this to human beings. These were someone's children, someone's babies. He wanted to get them out so badly but couldn't, and he couldn't stop looking inside the tiny windows because somewhere among them was _his_ daughter, _his_ baby.

Some of the sights made his stomach churn and a lump rose to his throat. It was obvious several of them had been tested on. One girl, maybe twelve-years-old, was lying awkwardly with her hands and forearms raised off the floor, the flesh on them covered in black scaly protrusions. A boy about Trevor's age sat propped against the farthest wall of his cell with his head lolled to one side – his eyes were wide open and glazed with a foggy white color. Another child he couldn't distinguish as a boy or girl at first because their head had been shaved. Then he noticed the long red strands scattered all over the floor and realized it was a girl whose hair had fallen out.

Several cells were empty, and one contained only an enormous red stain that covered most of the floor.

Logan had to stop and clutch the wall as he gasped in huge gulps of air, trying to hold himself together. The one thought that kept him going was that the other Blood Traitors would soon be there to help. They might be able to save the kids from this monstrous place… he just hoped they could save them from everything that had been done to them.

That's when he realized he was at the end of the hall. Five slender cells made up this wall, each door facing the length of the hallway and all the other cells. Numbers thirty-six through forty. If Liberty was here, she was in on of these.

Logan took one more fortifying breath before rushing up to the window of thirty-six.

Empty.

He moved to thirty-seven – also uninhabited.

He held his breath and peered into thirty-eight.

Crouched in a corner was a girl, five-years-old with bushy black hair, wearing puppy-dog pajamas.

"Libby!" Logan cried urgently, banging on the door. "Libby!"

He seized the handle and pulled frantically. To his astonishment, the door opened instantly and he fell backwards. Recovering his feet, he slowly moved into number thirty-eight.

His little Liberty was sitting bolt upright, her eyes huge with fright from the abrupt commotion. When she saw him, she blinked a few times, as if making sure he was real.

"Daddy?" she said at last, her small voice filled with hope.

Then Logan scooped her into his arms and she clung to him with all her might. Tears streamed down both their faces as Logan muttered that everything would be alright now – that he was going to take her home where she would be safe.

She sobbed incoherently but he just held her tighter, so immensely thankful that she was alive and whole in his arms.

After a moment Liberty asked shakily, "Daddy, who are they?" She pointed over his shoulder.

His back facing the door to the cell, Logan turned around to look outside and his blood went cold.

The empty hallway was now full of bodies. Small bodies, all facing the last five cells in a deathlike silence, staring at him and Libby with many pairs of young haunted eyes.

The children had left their cells, and something was terribly wrong.


	10. Chapter 9 The Militis Optime

Chapter Nine

The Militis Optime

1

"It's begun, Ma'am."

Inside an opulent den hidden below layers of earth, the Optimates leader, Morrigan, looked up lazily at her head of security. "Thank you, Ceto," she said as a small smile graced her thin lips.

Ceto, like most of Morrigan's chief subordinates, was a dedicated, formidable woman. She fiercely guarded their Welsh territory and lead with an unyielding hand, but in the presence of Morrigan, the stout woman held her head at a respectful tilt. Being a fearsome person did not make her any less afraid of her Mistress's wrath – all of the Optimates aimed to please the woman.

Her head lilting placidly against her curled knuckles, Morrigan's face was partially bathed in torchlight. Her eyes pierced Ceto as she pushed some of her long, matte black hair away from her visage. "Where is Jett?"

"Still detained as far as we know, Ma'am," Ceto replied. "The ambush should give her a chance to leave tonight."

Morrigan nodded, still grinning slightly. "Get out," she commanded, but her voice was much lighter than usual.

At the moment, the Raven Lady of Wales was utterly satisfied.

2

Cornered and growing more frightened by the second, Logan Bireley wondered if he would be returning home alive tonight. But, more importantly, would Libby?

The boy with foggy eyes stood closest, seemingly leading the other children. Logan trained his wand on him.

"I only want my daughter," he said, uneasy with what he was seeing. Just a moment before the kids had seemed weak and tormented, but now they filled the cellblock with a malignance that was even more chilling.

The white-eyed boy slowly grinned at him, his mouth spreading much too wide and revealing many shark-like teeth.

Liberty whimpered nervously at the sight and her father held her closer to his chest.

"What are you?" Logan breathed.

"Militis Optime," said the boy in a grotesquely distorted voice. A girl beside him chuckled wickedly as the fists at her sides suddenly flashed metallic.

Logan was struck by realization as he eyed the crowd of dirty faces: they were most definitely not children and none of them would need a wand to kill him.

He set Liberty behind him inside the cell and braced himself for a fight. His fingers reflexively tightened around his wand as the little bodies started to morph into much bigger forms and the door at the end of the hall slid closed, blocking off the only light.

3

Harry and the Blood Traitors arrived at the entrance to Morrigan's underground fortress in a noisy heap. There were several grumbles as most of the Blood Traitors didn't have much experience with traveling via portkey and had landed roughly. Only Harry, Augustus, and Imogene arrived on their feet.

Yvette and Sydney cursed crossly in French, but Alton's fowl language was all in English: "Bugger! That hurt! Ferris, get your boney arse offa me!"

Ferris had a few choice words of his own to add as he clambered upright, but Harry didn't hear everything. He was too consumed with looking about for Agape and Bireley. They should be close by – he'd told them to wait within sight of the entrance.

"Perhaps we should have landed a bit farther away, Mr. Potter," Gus said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I think all this fuss may have given our position away."

Harry responded without stopping his scan of the surrounding forest: "Morrigan has made it pretty obvious we're walking into a trap; right down to Quentin's eagerness to tell us this location. If she's not expecting us, there was a major miscommunication somewhere."

"Yeah, that and there's _seven_ of us and a million of them," Sydney pointed out dramatically. "I don't think they'll feel the need to arm the battlements just yet."

"Okay, stop talking," Alton ordered his team, sounding slightly like he was imitating Jules's commanding tone. "We don't have time. We've got to get started."

"You're right about that, Drake," Harry agreed. "Only problem is I don't see Agape or Logan yet."

"They may have already gone in to look for the child," Imogene offered. "Even if they've been caught, they would be inside. We should go ahead."

"Don't forget what Jules said," Ferris added to Alton.

The red-haired man rolled his eyes and pulled his dragon hide mask in place over his mouth and nose. "I don't think Jules has taken into account that we're a little short on Traitors recently," he told the blonde man.

"She's trying to keep us from getting killed, Alt," Ferris countered, frowning. "We shouldn't ignore what she said."

"You're right, of course." Alton turned to the others, announcing: "Everybody, pick a partner! We're going to use the _buddy system_ to storm the place. Make sure to hold hands so no one gets lost."

Ferris continued frowning at the shorter man. "You know, the closer you get to wetting yourself, the worse your jokes get."

Alton scowled back at him furiously as a trail of smoke snaked out of his mask.

"All of you shut up, please," Harry said, holding up an index finger. "I hear something."

The group went still, listening. There was someone walking through the underbrush approaching the dilapidated hut from behind. At last, a figure came into sight – it was Agape.

The poor woman looked absolutely haggard with leaves in her black hair and dirt covering her robes. However, when she spotted them, she uttered a little cry and rushed forward. Harry and the others ran to meet her.

"Oh, Harry!" she sputtered, looking close to tears. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Are you okay?" Harry inquired. "Where's Logan?"

She looked so stricken at the mention of the werewolf Harry immediately wondered if the worst had already happened. When tears started streaming down her face, he could hear the Blood Traitors' collective intake of breath.

"I tried to stop him," the woman explained, her words tumbling out in a hurry. "He went inside alone. Then, when I tried to follow him he got ahead of me…and… I had to get out of there."

"What do you mean?" Alton said, very anxious now.

Agape looked at Harry, her eyes deeply pained. "It was… Dante. He was there and… and I couldn't face him. I just couldn't do it! I left Logan in there alone because I was too afraid." She sobbed the last sentence and could barely control her voice enough to continue. "I ran back out here and Dante followed me. I tried to hide in the forest but I swear he was there wherever I turned. Everything went black and I couldn't see, even with _my_ eyes. It was like he was playing a game with me. Testing me…"

Harry put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. He shouldn't have sent just the two of them. They would have been safe enough if Bireley hadn't gone inside and triggered the attack, but Harry should have known it was inevitable. If it had been Kyla imprisoned so nearby, he wouldn't have waited for anyone either.

"I'm sorry, Agape," he began, but she cut him off.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I should have done better. I can't believe I let Logan go inside. Then I just ran like a coward." She wiped the tears off of her cheeks furiously, disgusted with herself. "Please, let's hurry and get him and Liberty back."

Alton suddenly turned to Ferris again, their argument long forgotten. "Alright, Mate. How should we go in waves?"

"Just like you said before, Drake," Harry answered before Ferris could. "Pair up and never separate from your partner. Even if we can't attack that way, we can survive being attacked."

They quickly organized themselves into pairs: Gus and Sydney, Alton and Ferris, Yvette and Imogene, and Harry and Agape. Now prepared and steely with resolve, Agape lead them to the entrance and she and Harry went inside first.

4

Liberty was screaming and sobbing in the corner of cell thirty-eight as her father fought off the monsters outside.

Some sort of light was penetrating the dark from inside the hall now and Logan could see who he was fighting. The boy with sharp teeth had gone back to his original shape – a burly, shark-mouthed man – and his eyes were no longer white. Logan had blasted him to the floor several times, but he was quite resilient and kept getting back into the fight. The girl with scaly hands was now a woman with smooth, black-scaled claws and two needle sharp fangs.

Unable to fight a group so large in any other way, Logan used numerous blocking spells. They steadily backed him inside the cell and he desperately worked to keep what little ground he had left so they couldn't reach Libby.

A metal hand suddenly shot out and slammed into his face with blinding force. Logan stumbled against the open cell door. He had to cling to it to keep himself standing. Huddled behind him, Liberty shrieked in fright.

The woman with metal covering her arms and hands advanced again, this time aiming for the five-year-old. Logan's head cleared very quickly then.

He seized the handle of the cell door and leapt backward into the tiny room, using all his weight to slam the door against the advancing woman. There was a ringing clang and the door stopped short. She had struck it with her metallic elbow and shoulder and was grinning evilly at him, completely unphased by the impact. But in her haste to block the door, she was unprepared for Logan's firm kick to her stomach, which was not protected by metal at the moment. She flew backwards and the door shut at last. Logan sealed it with magic and pressed his back to it for good measure. However, it wasn't long before they started banging on the door so hard he feared it would rattle off its hinges.

"It'll be okay, Libby," he said, reaching out his left hand to his little girl. Still simpering, she crawled over and held tight to him.

He hid his right hand from view – he had used it to shield his face when the lizard woman spit something on him and whatever was in her saliva turned out to be very acidic. His palm was now oozing blood and felt like it was on fire. And though he had regained his sight after the bone shattering blow to his face, his eye on that side was dimmer than normal and getting worse.

"Daddy," Liberty said shakily, pulling his attention away from his injuries, "where's Mummy?"

Logan's brow knit as the blows coming from the other side of the door worsened. He pressed his back harder against the metal and reinforced the lock and hinges with his wand as he answered: "She's not here, Libby. She's back home."

No sooner had the words left his lips did he realize it was the wrong thing to say. Liberty cried harder than ever. "Why isn't she here? I want Mummy!" she wailed desperately.

"I know, baby. But she…"

The hits were becoming more fervent and the door wouldn't hold much longer. Logan could feel the bruises rising on his back from the effort of holding it closed.

"But what?" Libby demanded, her brown eyes puffy and red now. "Where is she?"

Logan unclenched his teeth to speak, but hesitated again.

"Daddy! Where is she?"

"She's waiting for you at home," he answered finally. "She wants to see you so badly, sweetheart. But, I…" Another impact jarred him roughly, breaking off his reply. He figured there wasn't much of a reason to lie about it, though he only then realized the truth himself: "She doesn't know I'm here, Libby. I didn't tell her because I didn't want her to get hurt – so that both of you could be safe when you get home."

5

Having made it unhindered through the tunnel, Harry, Agape, and the Blood Traitors stood outside a huge, flat stone door on a track.

Yvette jabbed at the stupefied guard with the toe of her shoe. "Our wolf has definitely come this way," she mused with a small smile.

Without checking for dark magic, Harry seized the sides of the door and heaved it open. Agape started to stop him, knowing he could have been cursed had there been any on the door, but stopped when she heard the thunderous commotion inside.

Everyone peered inside the door from behind Harry.

The light from the tunnel lit up a long row of cells, and scuffling at the farthest end of the mile were twenty or so men and women. They all looked around at the unexpected light and spotted the intruders. Instantly, the crowd stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to their new target.

"Logan must be in that cell they're attacking," Harry stated.

"Harry, these people aren't normal," Agape warned, able to clearly see the odd group inside. "They're mutates, like the ones Dante makes."

"Can we go first, Alton?" Imogene asked, smirking

Yvette immediately brightened. "Yes, we'll clear a path for you."

Looking determined and surprisingly unaffected by the prospects of facing over twenty Militis Optime, Alton nodded. "But no biting," he added quickly to the vampire women. "Their blood might make you sick."

Harry had to dodge a curse as it jetted over his shoulder from one of the armed combatants. "Let's go!" he urged.

The eight of them flooded into the hallway with Imogene and Yvette at the lead. The two vampires moved too swiftly to be seen as they used their claws to bring down a man and a bald woman charging forward. Harry and Agape stupefied as many of them as they could, but some seemed impervious by the spell. Tougher spells were needed for nearly all of them.

Alton and Ferris stood back to back in the center of the mêlée, shooting well aimed defense spells and sending at least four or five to the floor. Gus and Sydney got one each from behind.

With the Militis Optime dwindling to about half the man-power, the match quickly became more even.

Harry dueled with a skinny man with shark teeth as Agape shot a man with a mohawk away from cell thirty-eight. They heard a shriek and saw Yvette flinching away from a woman with black scales on her hands.

"_Peu salaud_!" the vampire hissed vehemently as she furiously wiped her face. "Ahh! _Merde_!"

"I hope the venom leaves a scar," said the scaled woman delightedly. She pointed her wand at Yvette's heart and smiled with triumph. However, her celebration was premature. The vampire suddenly grabbed her wand and snapped it in two while it was still in her hand.

Somewhere, a voice boomed, "Drake!"

Alton whirled around, and spotted the huge shark-toothed man that he had faced just months ago. "Tiburon," he replied darkly. "So you survived the explosion then?"

"Not as easy as that to do me in," Tiburon grinned viciously.

They fired, but each blocked the other's hex.

"I see Dante made you little shark pups," Alton commented, pointing at the man Harry was still dueling with. "You must be _disgustingly_ proud."

Tiburon's wide grin grew monstrously as he flicked his wand, using a hex to cut off Alton's air supply. The smaller man scowled hatefully at Tiburon, struggling to breath as he raised his wand to shoot back. Tiburon expelled his wand and advanced on him, only to be blasted backward by Ferris.

"Hang on, mate," said the blond man, removing the choking spell from Alton's throat.

Alton gasped in oxygen only once before stupefying a man lunging at his friend's back. "Mind your business!" he ordered, spinning back to Tiburon, who was getting up from the floor.

"You're welcome," Ferris responded evenly, taking on the next competitor.

With out his wand, Alton resorted to giving Tiburon a roundhouse kick to the chest. He bent over his enemy with a smart remark on the edge of his tongue, when a body suddenly flew over his head.

"Whoa!" he cried as the airborne Optimates was propelled into one of the cell doors with a clang. He looked over his shoulder to see who of his friends was to congratulate and was gobsmacked to see little Sydney standing there with a bloody nose.

"Bloody brilliant, Syd," he shouted to her.

A flash of a smile crossed her face before she dashed to help Gus fight another scaled woman spitting venom.

With an earsplitting bellow of rage, the man with the mohawk charged Agape, and she hurriedly took his momentum away by levitating him. He shouted and snarled as she fastened him to the ceiling with conjured chains and stunned him.

Harry, having gotten rid of the skinny fellow from before, was now facing off with the woman who was protected by a metal shield on her skin. Ginny had told him about this girl from her last encounter with the Optimates. Her code name was Enyo and her shield could move along her body wherever she needed protection – even from magic. This power was apparently one of a kind, as Harry had yet to see another like her among the fray.

"Go ahead, Traitor. I'd like to get this done with so I can get back to your friend in his cell," she bit. Her young voice was seeped through with confidence that made it obvious she was ignorant of who she was fighting in the dark.

As an Auror, a member of the Order, and as a seasoned vigilante, Harry could do little else but shake his head sympathetically and start the duel.

Enyo did manage to block many of his spells with her metal shield, giving her more time to send curses at him, but it wasn't enough. Harry watched how the metal instinctively shifted from one part of her body to the next, depending on where she was attacked or where she would fall. Little did she know, she was at a great disadvantage in the dungeon. He blocked and dodged everything she had, all the while backing her toward one of the closed cells. Then, when she was just a few feet from the door, he blasted her with a charm that knocked her against it with enough force to make the shield react. As she fell, her reinforced arms took the brunt of the fall and the Auror was ready with a quick zap of searing heat.

"ARRRHHH!" the woman cried, screwing her eyes shut in pain. Harry had welded her metal encased wand arm to the door, fixing her to the spot.

Realizing she couldn't move, she flew into a rage and started cursing at him. She became even louder when he pointed his wand at her face and her shield couldn't move to protect her. He stunned her and she fell silent.

Someone shouted irately and Harry turned just in time to see flashes of light erupt from both Alton and Ferris's wands, more effectively stupefying Tiburon.

With most of the Optimates down for the moment, Agape had a chance to pound on the door to cell thirty-eight, where Logan and Liberty were still sealed.

"Logan! Logan, we're here," she cried. "Open the door – we only have a few minutes to get out!"

There was movement inside the cell and blazes of light lit the minute window. Apparently, Logan's charms had been the only thing holding the door closed, because no sooner had he removed them than the door fell off its hinges and clattered to the floor.

Father and daughter emerged from the tiny room, both looking a bit worse for wear but not unable to run. The right side of Logan's face was swelling from some tremendous blow and one of his hands was mangled and shaking uncontrollably. The little girl in his arms looked terrified and dirty as she clutched tighter to her dad but virtually unharmed.

"I'm so glad you came when you did," Logan said to Agape, whose face was tense as she looked them over.

"I'm sorry it wasn't sooner," she began. "I –"

Harry had to cut her off. "Some of them are waking up. We have to get out while we can."

He looked around to make sure everyone was still standing, and was relieved to see only his group on their feet – though some were not doing so well.

Imogene was holding on to Yvette, having to guide her somewhat after the venomous Optimus had spit in her eyes. Sydney, who had been banged up enough herself, had to support Gus as well, because his leg was badly wounded above the knee and refusing to hold his weight. Ferris – bleeding badly from a gash on his arm – moved over to them to help the small girl with her much taller partner. The blond man had a broken nose and Alton was sporting a rather nasty shiner.

Despite their injuries, the group had plenty adrenaline left to sprint out of the dungeon, whether limping or blind and into the tunnel toward freedom. Harry lead them to the forest outside and was just taking his first breath of open air when a hard impact hurled him to the ground.

A startled scream burst from Agape's lips when she spotted the creatures in the sky. Four men mutated with bat wings were swooping at them from above, keeping them from moving any further away from the entrance of the dungeon. The group crouched to avoid being struck. Rolling over, Harry shot spells at them from the ground, but they were amazingly fast and hard to see against the dark sky.

Alton suddenly stood next to him and shot at one in particular. "Oy! Fero! Are these your new girlfriends?" he shouted up.

His taunt was effective. Fero, a thin fellow with flesh colored wings, dove down on Alton's head with remarkable speed and agility. Drake barely had time to duck the man'd reaching arms and seize one of the his enormous wings, but he couldn't hold on long enough to pull him out of the air and ended up stumbling to the dirt beside Harry.

They picked themselves up and watched the bestial men keeping them from leaving. "What now?" Alt asked the Auror, out of breath and tired of fighting.

"We keep fending them off," Harry told him resolutely, "from the front and back."

"Aw, I forgot about the ones we just left stunned," Alton growled. "They'll be waking up soon."

"But we can't hold all of them off much longer," Imogene pointed out. "We barely managed to fight off the last twenty for a few moments."

"Bigger problem!" Agape squeaked, as she pointed wide-eyed toward a figure coming out of the trees nearby.

It was a tall, bulky man wearing black robes that hooded his face from sight, making him look like the Reaper come to take them. Shadows bent around him and followed like a wake of darkness.

"Dante," Harry hissed.

He held a particular hatred for this man. Dante had almost killed Ginny during their last encounter, and had mutated Agape's eyes, putting a fear into her that would make her run at the mere sight of him. The Militis Optime were his soldiers, and every experiment performed on innocent people to make more of them was his doing as well. Dante was a walking embodiment of evil who wielded magic in ways that Harry had never seen.

Unfortunately – for Harry at least – the robed man came no closer. Had he, a very different fight would have broken out; one that was much more personal. But Dante kept his distance, observing his flying soldiers' performance. Then his seemingly empty black hood turned toward Harry and Alton and bowed slightly, simply acknowledging them, before the shadows behind him suddenly engulfed his form and he was gone. This was quite a feat, Harry knew, because the surrounding area had an anti-Disaparating charm on it.

Someone now stood in Dante's place: a handsome young man whose skin and golden hair seemed to glow faintly in the darkness. He walked forward without a wand in hand, but Harry knew that didn't mean he wasn't still dangerous in this situation.

"Who are you?" Alton demanded immediately, holding his wand out threateningly.

"You're Drake, then," said the young fellow.

"I know who _I_ am, you berk," Alt snapped. "Answer my question."

"I'm called Marduk. I'm supposed to help keep you under control," he answered with a straight, businesslike face which couldn't have been older than eighteen.

Sounds were coming from the entrance to the tunnel, signaling the arrival of at least some of the twenty from inside. They wouldn't have much time.

Imogene leaned in toward Harry, whispering, "I can move fast enough to get past the flying beasts, but Yvette is still half blind. I'd need her help to drop them to the ground."

"I'd rather have you here," Harry whispered back, about to tell her he wanted her and Yvette to stay in front of Logan and Liberty at all times, but Marduk interrupted him.

"And you shall, Mr. Potter," said the young man, overhearing. He lifted his arms and his skin began to glow brighter. Suddenly flames burst up from the ground and surrounded the Blood Traitors, trapping them next to the crumbling hut. "You'll all be staying right where you are."

His voice was not smug, but matter-of-fact – this was work for him.

"The idiot doesn't realize I'm fireproof," Alton said. He was the only person who didn't move away from the flames. He started to step forward, but Harry caught his shoulder.

"Wait, Drake," said the Auror. "We'll need you to help fight off the creeps coming from inside until we get some back up."

"Back up?"

But there was no time to answer him. As if on cue, the Militis Optime burst through the doorway of the hut, Tiburon leading them. The man's huge mouth was grinning with evil glee as he and the others advanced on the smaller party.

"How fast can you work up a flame, Drake?" Harry inquired hastily.

"On its way!" Alton replied.

He ripped his mask down and took several deep breaths, as if he were preparing himself to dive into a pool of water. "Stand back," he warned the others as smoke billowed out of his mouth.

Tiburon saw the grey smoke and his eyes widened. However, when he ducked he didn't bother to tell his teammates what was coming.

Alton blew an enormous torch of fire from his mouth and mowed the enemy down. Unfortunately he broke into a wracking coughing fit immediately afterward. This gave time for Tiburon to jump back to his feet and hit the Traitor with a dark magic stun. Alton slumped to the ground, completely still.

Harry and Agape exchanged a split second glance before they both turned ready wands on the cowering Optimates, using a charm to chain their arms to the ground.

Then Harry heard Liberty scream in terror and whipped around to see her pointing to the sky. Logan shielded the girl from impact as he dove to the right, narrowly avoiding being hit by a falling body with giant wings. The unconscious Optimus lay crumpled on the ground, shot from the sky by someone outside the wall of flames.

The scene became very chaotic at that moment: extra voices were shouting beyond the fire and merging with the sound of Tiburon and his lackeys literally biting through their chains with hideous teeth. Then Agape was pulling at his sleeve and pointing around them.

"The fire is dying down! Look!"

"Whose out there?" Gus called to the Auror nervously.

Harry grinned with tremendous relief. "Our back up."

Soon the flames were gone, revealing Harry's brother-in-law, Charlie Weasley, and Neville Longbottom putting them out.

"Are you alright?" Neville inquired of the entire group.

"We have to get out of here," Harry told him. "I'm sure they've sent for reinforcements by now – and if they have more like this lot," he gestured at the mutates currently freeing themselves from their chains, "We don't want to stick around."

Charlie gaped at the freakish shark mouths and scales of the group. "Did one of them make that huge fire ball we saw?" he asked uneasily.

Harry and Ferris hefted Alton up from the ground to carry him between them, and Harry responded: "That would be Drake here. When he wakes up, I'm sure you'd love to talk to him."

Charlie looked confused, but didn't have time to ask any more questions. He and Neville blasted the oncoming Optimates back, giving the Blood Traitors time to escape. They ran, limped, and stumbled down the dirt path away from the hut. Flanking them on either side were Susan Bones, Remus Lupin, Lee Jordan, and the Weasley twins guarding them on their way down the hill. Tonks was there as well, dueling the glowing fire starter, Marduk. The poor kid fought bravely at first, but must have realized he was far out of his league. Just as a strand of magical chains flew from Tonks's wand to capture him, Marduk vanished in a burst of flames.

Seeing this, Harry called over his shoulder to Agape. "Can we Disaparate yet?"

"No! Not until we reach the stream at the bottom of the hill."

As they neared said stream, the Order members caught up behind them. Agape lead them to a small foot bridge arched over the tumbling waters and shouted "Now!"

A series of loud pops announced their successful, if not very impressive escape.

6

The Order opened the doors of their head quarters to the Blood Traitors for the night to let them recoup and be healed by a medi-witch. Dr. Ainsley Thorpe, who was Ferris's mother, had become an honorary member of the Order during the second battle against Voldemort. She later stayed on as an occasional healer, much like her son was for the BT – but professionally.

Harry and Ferris, having mostly superficial injuries, were two of the last to be treated. Once the medi-witch had come into the parlor where they were sitting, she gave her son an earful.

"I am so… so… Ugh! I don't even know what to say to you, Ferris," Dr. Thorpe griped. "If I had known this is what you had been doing instead of working-"

"Mum," Ferris interrupted. "I still have a job."

"Doing what?" his mother demanded ferociously.

"I write songs, like I told you," Ferris answered meekly. "You remember my friend from school who sings? Ouch!"

Dr. Thorpe jabbed her wand a bit too hard at the wound on Ferris's arm as she healed it. "Sorry," she muttered, but never slowed down in her rant. "And I'm guessing all the money you earn goes to hospital bills then?"

Ferris laughed shortly. "Mum, I write songs. I don't make that much money."

All traces of jest were wiped from the young man's face by the glare his mother gave him.

"Dr. Thorpe," Harry piped up, "Ferris is very good at fighting the Dark Arts-"

"Don't you start, Harry!" the woman snapped, shaking her wand at him momentarily. "I know Lily would have felt the same way if she'd seen what you were up to when you were nineteen! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to think of your child fighting the dark forces? Imagine if your daughter were trying to defeat that Dante fellow behind your back."

That shut Harry up, and Dr, Thorpe went back to mending Ferris's arm then his broken nose. When the task was done, a mighty sigh hissed from the woman's lungs. She looked her exhausted son in the eye.

"How long have you been doing this," she asked him, her tone much calmer now.

"Since I graduated," he answered.

She nodded slowly, acceptingly. "Okay. It's not as though I can stop you anyhow… Just promise, promise, _promise_ me you'll be careful – and that you'll never be rash on the field."

Ferris gave her a half smile. "I promise."

She looked as though she might cry for a moment, but then she kissed him on the forehead and said: "You're all set. Your nose will be purple for a while, but it should be better by tomorrow. I'm going to check on your tall friend, now that you two are done."

She moved for the open door and paused to turn back. "As angry as I am, I'm still proud of you Ferris," she said to the blond man. Then she looked down at Harry where he sat in one of the parlor chairs.

"I've told you this before, Harry, but Lily was the best friend I ever had," she told him, smiling kindly. "And I know she'd be proud of you too."

With that, she kissed him on the forehead as well and left the room.

Her words warmed the Auror. He tilted his head back against the chair and let his muscles relax some. Part of the struggle was over now: Liberty was sleeping safely under the watch of her father, as well as both the vigilante groups; no one had died, nor had any of them come close; and they were now wise to Dante's new improved soldiers. And as life goes, everything had happened dizzyingly fast in a single day.

Ferris leaned to one side in his chair and closed his eyes in exhaustion. Harry followed suit by letting his eyes droop closed. He let his mind unfocus to the sounds of Charlie excitedly talking to poor Alton in the room across the hall.

"So they actually meshed your organs with a dragon's DNA?"

"…Most of them yeah…"

"I bet you can eat just about anything."

"Pretty much…"

"Charlie, let him rest," Dr. Thorpe barked from somewhere within the same room. "He only woke up thirty minutes ago."

Their voices faded and Harry never heard Charlie's reply because he drifted off to sleep at last.

7

Inside another of the Order's rooms, Logan sat asleep in a chair with his head resting in his arms on the mattress Liberty slept on.

Her hair and clothes had been washed and any bruises she acquired during the escape were mended. Logan had been tended to as well, but had wanted nothing more than to stay with his daughter and be there to watch over her. For a while he simply sat and observed her breathing peacefully as grateful tears trickled silently down his face. However, fatigue had finally overwhelmed him.

It didn't take much to wake him, though. The soft sound of Libby's sleepy voice made him open his eyes and look up at her.

"Are you still here, Daddy?" she muttered groggily.

He put his bandaged hand on hers and whispered back, "Yes, baby. I'm not going anywhere."


	11. Chapter 10 A Couple of Drinks

Chapter Ten

A Couple of Drinks

1

The smell of coffee under his nose made Harry's eyes flutter open.

"You didn't come back home last night, so I thought I'd come to you," said the round bellied redhead bending toward him with a mug in hand.

Harry grinned sleepily at Ginny, taking the offered coffee. "Sorry," he said. "I'll bring you some tasty dirt tomorrow to make up for it."

She punched him lightly on the shoulder, but the bruise there overreacted a tad.

"Ow! You would choose that shoulder."

Ginny winced sympathetically and apologized. "I was going to say you looked unscathed, but never mind," she commented.

"No, I was pretty lucky by comparison," he said, stretching some. He realized he was still in the same chair where he'd fallen asleep in the parlor at HQ.

"Well, that's good to hear for once. Unfortunately, I've got some bad news."

"You're going to manage the Chudley Cannons?"

"No. I'm not going to manage anyone for a while."

Harry sat up straighter and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Holly Head coach sent me a letter this morning saying they didn't want me back until after the baby was born," she explained, looking downtrodden as she took the seat next to him.

"Those Harpies," Harry teased. Ginny wasn't amused. "Look," he tried again, "it's not as if they've sacked you. It'll only be a few more months and then you can go back – if that's what you want."

She still looked rather dejected.

"You won't have anything to do will you?"

She shook her head unhappily.

"You want to tackle the mountain of paper in my office?" Harry suggested jokingly. "You can fight crime on paper with each stroke of your quill. Or you could just push the mountain of paper onto a criminal's head – that would do the job."

She seemed to be seriously considering it. "You know, Harry – that's an idea."

"Really?"

"Well, I don't want to _be_ your assistant, exactly," she admitted, "but I can _assist_ you in finding a new assistant."

Harry lifted a black eyebrow at her in interest. "Tell me more."

At that moment, Alton and Charlie walked in. They seemed to have talked more since the previous night and where getting along quite well.

"So you don't have a house anymore?" Charlie was saying.

"No. I usually sleep at headquarters, but sometimes I crash at Logan's," Alton answered. "We're on the move so much, I hardly notice anymore."

Charlie laughed a little. "I know how that feels."

Alton spotted Ginny and a wide smile brightened his face. "Hi! I haven't seen you since December."

"I've changed a bit since then," Ginny said, patting her heavily pregnant midsection.

"Wow, yeah. Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?"

"Boy," Chalrie said before his sister could answer.

He grinned as Ginny pulled a face at him. "We don't know," she corrected.

"Face it, with the Weasley luck you'll have a pack of little hooligan boys," Charlie insisted.

"Well, I broke the chain of boys in our family, and I have a daughter," she countered, "Weasley luck or no."

"Well, you're the only one."

"What about Percy? He has a daughter," Harry pointed out.

"Percy doesn't count," Charlie said dismissively.

As they argued, Harry turned to Alton. "How is everyone?" he asked, referring to the Blood Traitors.

Alton started ticking names and injuries off on his fingers. "Dr. Thorpe said Gus's leg would be better in a few days, but he'd have a scar; Ferris is fine; Sydney is fine; Yvette will have a scar on her face for a while; Ima is fine; and Logan's hand will be fully functional, but will _also_ have a scar – and I think he still has fangs."

"You're all collecting your battle scars at last," Harry said rather proudly. "You can't stay in this business very long without having marks to show it. How's your head by the way?"

"I feel like I drank my own body weight in beer and got the hangover without ever getting buzzed," Alton replied miserably.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, Luciano did that same souped-up stun on me. I'm sorry to say it'll take more than a day for that headache to go away."

Alton's demeanor suddenly darkened at the mention of Roman. "Hmm. Maybe I'll return the favor for you," he grumbled. "Lousy bugger…"

"Wait, what'd I miss?" Harry asked.

Alton quickly relayed what Jules had told Ferris over the phone, saying they couldn't be sure what was going on yet, but it was nothing good. It seemed this wasn't the first time the BT's second in command had been dishonest with them. "We're not allowing him in the basement anymore, because Jules thinks it's not safe to trust him," he concluded unhappily.

Harry frowned at him, asking: "You said Jules thought he was in charge of something big that would hurt a lot of people?"

"That's what Ferris told me," Alton nodded. "She said something catastrophic was going to happen."

Harry pondered this. "I should probably let Tonks know we need to be on the look out. Try to talk with Jules again – I realize she probably won't be able to tell you much, but any details would help us." He got up from the chair and kissed Ginny while she was in mid sentence with Charlie.

"Where are you going? You haven't eaten anything," his wife protested, forgetting her spat with her brother.

"Liberty is safe, but I still have a file full of other kids who aren't," he told her.

She heaved herself out of her seat and stood to leave. "Then, I'm coming with you."

Harry looked over his shoulder at Alton. "Do you think Mrs. Snook would let me talk to Trevor about the Optimates?"

Alton appeared hesitant. "Well, she told us to try not to remind him of it too much – he's been asked so many questions already and it's not like he remembers much. Plus, she's his guardian, so we can't really argue with her."

"So she would say no?"

The masked man shrugged, "I don't know. But if it's to save kids, she might ease up on the over protectiveness. I know Trevor would be willing to help."

Ginny said good bye to her brother and Alton as Harry stared out the door. The Auror called behind him: "Put in a good word for me, will you? I'll be there before noon to talk to her."

"Righto."

2

"Merlin's beard…"

Gus stood open mouthed inside the foyer of the Blood Traitor safe house. Where there had once been a small living room, there was now a gaping hole and a crumbling roof. The remains of the couch had been hurled halfway through the foyer wall and a wide scattering of bricks was the only thing left of the fireplace. The scene of the blast was a violent mess, but had long ago settled. Birds now chirped nearby and a peaceful breeze blew the morning air inside. A little song bird flittered in and landed on the haphazard leg of an overturned table.

Celeste walked out of the kitchen with one hand on her hip. "It doesn't look like she tried to get out any other way," said the plump woman flatly. "She knew exactly what it would take to get out and apparently that meant demolishing the living room with her wand."

"I can't image what spell she used," Gus muttered. "Even Mr. Potter couldn't get out before."

"Well, I know nothing about spells," sighed Celeste, kicking over a scrap of what used to be the coffee table, "but usually blowing a big hole through something is a sure-fire way to break out… I told Ferris letting her keep her wand was a mistake, but no one listens to the 'Muggle' –"

"And no one woke up?" Gus interrupted.

"No one. I'm not even sure if anyone was asleep at the time, because I can't tell when she did it."

Gus frowned at the reckage and the glint of broken glass caught his eye. The beers he and Jett shared the night before had shattered together in a corner, with over half their contents forming a puddle there.

It looked like she had left soon after he had, neither of them finishing their drinks. "It's as if she were just waiting for me to leave." Gus realized he didn't know Mihayla well enough to really feel betrayed by her escape, but he couldn't help it. He thought she was on their side after their conversation, but perhaps he was wrong. If she needed help, he wished she would have asked.

"Don't sound so disappointed, Gus," Celeste said, giving him an odd look. "She was just a Neo. Agreeing to but never actually getting around to passing us information doesn't exactly make her a good guy."

"She never got a chance," Gus pointed out. "We found Liberty the same night we let her out of Azkaban… You don't think the other Optimates took her do you?" he asked with concern.

Celeste gave him the odd look again. "Everything was blown outward from inside the living room, and according to you magical people, only Blood Traitors and those who know the safe word can get in. Besides, if they _could_ get in, why would they need to blow a hole in the wall?"

"Y-yes, I suppose you're right."

3

It had been years since Logan had been allowed to see Liberty. He was bitten when she was only one year old, and Betrys quickly divorced him afterward. He'd missed Libby's first steps, her first day of preschool, and countless other days with her because his ex-wife thought he was dangerous and the Ministry agreed – though his daughter never seemed to mind. When Libby turned three, Betrys won full custody and he hadn't seen her since. They never even asked Liberty if she was afraid of her father or whether or not she felt safe with him. Over the past two years, her only connection with him had been a picture he'd given her of him holding her as a baby.

Understandably, Logan was rather reluctant to return her to the woman who had kept them apart for so long. He wondered if he could just spend one day with her before putting her back in Betrys's arms – but he knew he couldn't.

It was early morning when he and Remus asked Lenore where they could find Betrys. The Ministry put her in a safe location, as her house was obviously known by the Optimates and susceptible to at least one Vampire. Lenore told them the location and they reunited mother and daughter at last.

Several hours and a flood of tears later, Liberty was put back to bed to rest, still drowsy from the potion Dr. Thorpe had given her the night before. "I love you, my little baby," Betrys whispered, kissing her sleeping child's cheek before quietly leaving the room. She left the door open a crack as she stepped into the cramped living room of her hideout.

Remus and Lenore had long ago made themselves scarce somewhere outside the house. Betrys and Logan now had a moment to talk.

"Logan… Thank you. I don't know how else to say it," she said, her eyes still over bright from crying. "These past few days have been the worst kind of hell."

Logan nodded in grim agreement.

She paused, as if waiting for him to speak. When it became obvious he wasn't going to, she turned on her heal to the kitchen, calling through the doorway, "Can I get you anything to drink? Tea maybe?"

"No," he answered simply.

She reemerged from the kitchen, showing him a bottle in one hand and two stout glasses in the other. "Scotch then?"

He didn't answer, choosing to sit on her couch instead. She put the bottle and glasses away and sat down in a chair opposite him. "You really have changed," she marveled after a moment. "Before, we would have started yelling at each other by now, just to get it over with."

"I don't want to argue with you, Betrys," he said, looking at her at last. "I'm too tired to fight right now anyway."

"I bet you are," she said, "after what you must have been through last night." Her gaze flickered between the healing claw marks Quentin had left on his throat to his bandaged hand. "Now I understand why you broke out of the Ministry. I told Yates you're more reasonable than you appear."

Logan clenched and unclenched his jaw. "Especially these days," he agreed dryly. "If the Ministry thinks a werewolf is being 'unreasonable', it's apparently a good enough excuse to arrest them. Even Potter used that one against me once."

Betrys was markedly uncomfortable about the topic, but he didn't let it bother him too much. If he really wanted to agitate her he could show her his new fangs.

"Please, Logan," she said gently, "let's not talk about that. Liberty is back and that's over now."

"Yes. Over for you at any rate," Logan said, disillusioning her as politely as possible. "But you're right. Let's talk about something else."

His ex-wife stared hard at him, reading his mood like she used to when they were still together. Then she took a breath and said bluntly: "Do you want to step outside so you can get as loud and sarcastic as you like – you know, get it out of your system, so that you can relax with me?"

Closing his eyes, Logan let out a long sigh and leaned back on the couch. "No, I don't," he said finally, calmer now. "Betrys, what I want is to be allowed to see my daughter. I can't do this anymore –"

"Okay."

He paused with his mouth still half open. He thought once he said it, he would be in for another long battle – only instead of Neos there would be lawyers and the Ministry. Had she actually resolved everything with a single word?

"Really?" he asked, not quite able to believe she wasn't going to fight him. "You'll let me see her?"

Betrys nodded, tearing up suddenly. "Logan, you just carried the most important part of my life back to me today. I'll give you anything you want. Anything."

Without warning, she was on the couch crying into his shirt as she embraced him. Though stunned at first, Logan eventually put his arms around her – it felt natural to hold her, even after everything between them.

"Thank you," he softly muttered into her curled hair.

4

Exhausted and needing a drink, Roman came home to his apartment building late in the morning. He climbed the last few steps to his floor and started down the hall when a door near the landing opened, emitting his neighbor, a stooped old woman.

"Oh, Luciano! I haven't seen _ye_ in a while," she said, her mock friendly tone full of suspicion. "Ye haven't been home since…well, the day 'fore yesterday. Am I right?"

"_Tu sei una ficcanasa, vera_?" Roman muttered under his breath in Italian.

"Pardon?" squawked the old woman.

"That's right, Miss Sheesley," he answered instead. "I've been away for the last few nights."

The woman's eyes narrowed at him. "With another one of those _girls_, I'm assuming."

Roman turned away from her, saying, "I wish," before shuffling to his door.

"Ye know, young men who stay out 'til all hours find trouble sooner or later," Miss Sheesley called at his back.

"I'm not that young anymore," Roman retorted. "Have a nice day."

He shut the door on her next sentence.

The tired man closed his eyes and leaned his back against his door for a second, simply relieved to be home. He opened his eyes again, about to move toward his kitchen when he stopped dead, suddenly feeling another presence in his apartment. Slowly, he turned toward the living area and found a beautiful woman with amber eyes and brunet hair sitting in his chair. A small smirk pulled at her shapely lips.

"Good morning, Roman," Jett said.

He paused for a moment, carefully regarding her. "This is the second time I've come home to find a woman here."

"Only the second time?"

"Okay, the second time I've found an _uninvited_ woman here."

Her smile grew a little wider. "I came to thank you," she informed him, "for helping me escape. If it weren't for you, I'd still be in Azkaban."

"You're welcome."

"Why did you do it?"

"…Well, to be honest, I _was_ going to ask you how to get to Logan's daughter – but he and Potter seemed to manage that on their own."

"I noticed," she commented wryly.

"And… I remembered you from before, so I thought I'd return the favor," he added.

She flashed a brief, white smile at him and Roman felt something stir in his stomach.

"When did you finally remember me?" she asked

"Well, there was only one way you could have known about the scars on my wrist," he admitted, breaking eye contact and walking into the kitchen. From there he continued while getting a bottle and some glasses out of a cupboard. "I figured not asking you too many questions from that point on would make Potter want to keep you out of jail for a while. He's too impatient to take someone useful back to Azkaban and have to wait for information."

As he poured some caramel colored alcohol into a glass, she moved closer. "Well, nice work," she said. "Now we've both broken each other out of Azkaban in one way or another –"

"And taken many others with us, in my case," he added before taking a long draught from the glass and emptying much of its contents.

Jett observed him with some amusement. "You do know it's only eleven fifteen, right?"

He put the glass down and gave her an annoyed look. "It's _twelve_ fifteen in Rome."

"We're not in Italy," she pointed out.

"Does that mean you won't have any?"

"No."

He poured some of the caramel colored drink in the second glass and handed it to her. She took a small sip at first and grinned at him. "Brandy, huh?"

"'Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy'," he quoted blandly, staring into his half empty glass.

"Where's that from?" she inquired, her scared brow raised.

"Some Muggle my father held in high regard," he answered. "Dr. Johnson something-or-other."

"Right. Back to our situation; you've gotten yourself into a spot of trouble recently."

"I'd say so, yes."

"You're the git in charge of…" Jett hesitated. "Well, Odin's big plans."

Roman nodded before quickly taking another gulp of the strong brandy.

"And now we both have a choice to make – but making the wrong one could get us killed," Jett continued.

"In your case, yes," he conceded.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm dead either way," he admitted, his voice strained.

She looked confused. "If you betray Odin, the Neos will kill you, but what will happen to you if you do what he wants?"

Roman bit his lip and stared blankly at her for a beat. "I don't know if I can do what he wants," he said at last. "This is a thousand times worse than freeing murderers from Azkaban, Jett."

"I don't know. I put a lot of those people _in_ Azkaban – it was pretty hard watching them go free."

He put his hand firmly over hers and shook his head. "No. This is far worse than that."

"I know. You're right. So what do we do?"

"You're obviously better at this than I am," he said straightforwardly. "You have to find a way to stop the plans."

"You mean stop _you_. How am I supposed to do that?"

One more gulp of alcohol later, he answered. "Like I said, I'm dead either way."

She didn't seem very happy with that particular option. "Roman," she said, her voice set and steady, "why did you become a Death Eater?"

He frowned at her. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just tell me."

"…Stupidity."

"I thought so." Jett tipped the remains of her brandy into his empty glass. "Most idiots like you have one particular trait in common: your superior survival instinct. Now those scars and the fact that you're a double agent are proof that you have quite a guilty conscience built up, but I can't help you clear it. And if you decide to go through with this, you and I will be enemies from now on."

Roman opened his mouth to interrupt, but she held up a silencing finger and continued:

"I'll help in whatever way I can so long as you're heading in the right direction, but you have to decide quickly. If you sabotage Odin's plans, you will be murdered. If you help him, you'll be handsomely rewarded but horribly guilt ridden. So you need to choose whether you want to be a dead hero, or a living but very culpable villain."

He did seem to be able to respond in any way other than to stare apprehensively at her.

"Take a drink," she told him.

5

Harry sat with Headmistress McGonagall in her office at Hogwarts. He'd spoken to Melencolia Snook (Trevor's legal guardian) about contacting Trevor and she'd grudgingly allowed it, as it might help save other children. However, she'd stipulated that McGonagall be there to oversee the interview. Alton hadn't been kidding when he said Melencolia was overprotective.

Currently they were sharing a pot of tea as they waited for the boy to arrive and Harry updated McGonagall on the case in the meantime.

"This disturbs me greatly, Harry," said the ancient Headmistress, frowning. "The possibility that the Neo Death Eaters are related to these kidnappings makes me nervous that the students will be going home soon. Now days more than ever, Hogwarts truly is one of the safest places in all Britain."

Harry's brow furrowed. "What day is it?" he asked.

"June twentieth."

"Wow, they really will be coming home soon – only three days," said the Auror. "I've completely lost track of time over the last few days."

"Yes, this Saturday they'll all be heading to Kings Cross," nodded the Headmistress.

At that moment they heard a knock on the door. McGonagall summoned Trevor into the room and the skinny boy entered, hesitating until he was directed further.

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Vaughn," said McGonagall. "You know Mr. Potter, don't you?"

The third year nodded. "You're Kyla's dad," he said quietly as he sat down next to Harry.

"I haven't seen you in a very long time, Trevor," Harry responded, leaning forward in his chair. "How've you been getting along at school?"

"Fine… enough," he said with a sheepish glance at his Headmistress.

"Good to hear. Listen, I'd like to talk to you about something that I know you're tired of talking about," he began, "but it's important."

He paused and Trevor didn't respond other than to wait for him to continue. So he did: "It's about your time with the Optimates. I'm searching for missing kids and I'm afraid the Neos are involved. Quite a few of the children are around your age or younger. Do you remember anyone else your age while you were underground?"

"No," Trevor answered simply.

"Did they ever mention why they chose to experiment on you?"

"Not really. The first thing I remember is waking up in someone's house and someone congratulating me on surviving."

"Surviving what? The experiment?"

"They never said it that way," Trevor said. "They called it 'the improvement.' Saying I would be stronger, like a soldier."

"And what exactly is your…improvement?" Harry inquired.

The rust haired boy hesitated and looked sideways at McGonagall, as if asking her permission. Apparently he had been warned against revealing his mutation inside Hogwarts. However, as soon as the Headmistress nodded her approval, Trevor held his hands forward with his palms out.

He stretched his fingers straight and flexed them slightly. Harry watched as this stimulation suddenly spurred the perfectly normal fingers to grow freakishly long – at least twice their normal length. What was worse, each finger tip tapered into a knife-like edge that ended in a needle sharp point.

Harry didn't quite know what to say at first. He mutely reached out with his index finger to touch one of the lethal looking points, but Trevor quickly pulled his hands back.

"They're really sharp," he explained. Instead of letting Harry get cut, he picked up a blank sheet of parchment from McGonagall's desk and dropped it over his outstretched fingers. The paper was effortlessly sliced into five pieces.

"…That's really scary, Trev," Harry said, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Imagine waking up with them and not knowing how they got there," the boy said. "When Dante taught me how to fight with them, he told me not to cut my legs off."

Harry was even more alarmed by this revelation. "Dante taught you to fight?"

Trevor looked a bit awkward again. "Well, he taught me how to control the claws. Mrs. Snook said they still thought I was a Muggle back then, so he didn't bother with magic."

"Oh, that's right," Harry recalled. "They assumed you were a Muggle because your parents were."

"The Hogwarts letter shook them up quite a bit," McGonagall commented soberly. "They knew they were in trouble when they found out they couldn't keep him underground without being investigated."

The Blood Traitors had told Harry this a few months ago, after he inquired of Trevor's wellbeing with their group. Jules had bluntly informed him that Trevor was better off with them than anywhere else. Putting him with a normal family would do him little good, because his mutation was most definitely not normal. Now Harry understood how right she was. In the wrong care, even a boy as mild mannered as Trevor could be dangerous.

"What else did Dante tell you?" Harry asked.

"He said that my hands would be much tougher than usual, even in normal form. I'm more flexible now too. He said I was perfect for close combat."

"Do you know how tough your hands are?"

"I was bitten by a Hippogriff during class once. I think it hurt its beak, but my skin didn't even break," Trevor replied. "I didn't tell Professor Hagrid."

"Did the Optimates ever mention anything in regards to your age" said Harry. "I know you were only eleven when they kidnapped you."

"I don't think so. I don't remember anything before they wiped my memory and changed my hands. They could have said lots of things and I wouldn't know it. I only remember they were very pleased I had lived."

Harry thought about this for a moment. Eventually he asked, "Why do you think you survived, Trevor?"

This question caught the boy by surprise. He had to think before answering. "Well," he began at last, "they obviously didn't care whether or not I died, they just wanted the experiment to succeed. So I'm guessing it wasn't thanks to any of them that I'm still alive. Maybe I was just lucky, like Alton."

Harry nodded pensively.

"Well, Trevor, thank you for talking to me," he said, bringing the interview to a close.

"Of course," said the boy, standing with Harry, "I hope I helped."

McGonagall dismissed Trevor and Harry thanked her for the tea and the use of her office.

As they descended the moving staircase, Harry turned to Trevor and said, "Would you mind doing me a favor?"

The boy shrugged. "Sure. What is it?"

"Tell Kyla I saw her in the Rat's Mouth pub, and she's grounded when she gets home."

_(Cheer me on, folks! I'm trying to finish before the seventh book comes out!!! lol!)_


	12. Chapter 11 Leader of the Blood Traitors

Chapter Eleven

Leader of the Blood Traitors

1

The Blood Traitors had escaped the ambush – that at least was obvious.

Twenty-year-old Julissa (or Gwendolyn Dante in this house) had waited up for her husband until dawn peeked through the windows of their living room. Finally, Howard Sullivan Dante burst through the door, putting her fears to rest at last.

He didn't have to say anything; she could tell by the way he brought the shadows in with him, dimming what little light had crept into the room from outside. His anger was a tell-tale sign his militia of freaks had failed their first mission as a unit. Jules breathed much easier knowing that the Blood Traitors had made it, but she now had to keep on her toes around her husband.

Howard pulled back his hood, revealing a mane of sandy colored hair and frighteningly livid eyes. In his current fury, he looked somewhat like a lion as he stalked toward her.

She never moved from the sofa as he menacingly approached, dragging shadows to blot out the light of the rising sun.

His feet coming to a halt at the edge of the sofa, he leaned in until his nose was inches away from hers.

"Darling," he growled angrily, his breath hot in her face. "You've been medaling, haven't you?"

Keeping her expression completely blank, Jules held up her mobile phone. "Sorry, your army of mutates must just suck at what they do. I found my phone, but your creepy house kept me from calling anyone. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Gwendolyn," barked the large man, roughly grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger, "if I find out this had anything to do with you – I'll make you very, very sorry."

"I'm already very, very sorry, Howard," Jules hissed, grabbing his genitals in a similar motion. "But you'll be much sorrier if you don't get your _murdering_ hands off me."

Dante hesitated, not because of her threat, but because he was busy searching her unflinching eyes. He seemed relatively satisfied with whatever he found there and they released each other. As he stepped away from her a pace, the darkness swirling around him subsided and the living room slowly brightened.

"I will not let you ruin the plans, Gwen," he threatened calmly. "Get used to being stuck in my creepy house, because I'm not letting you out for a long time."

With that he stalked into the hall toward his lab, leaving her breathing a little easier.

She watched him go before turning to look out of the nearest window. "Then I guess I'd better get going before it's too late," she sighed.

2

The next day brought rain – lots of it. As the roads in Hogsmeade became soggier, the people headed for the indoors. Including those inhabiting the darker alleys:

In the back room of an old Apothecary in a seedier area of the village, a man and a woman sat in casual conversation. The woman lounged in a rickety wooden chair the same way a Queen might sit a throne. Her refined looks and splendid robes looked equally out of place in the shabby surroundings. On the other hand, the man – nearly a decade older and more practically dressed – suited the place much better, but his posture was like a general's: his back rigidly straight even during their relaxed tea.

"Is everything going as planned, dear friend?" asked Morrigan, leader of the Welsh territory. "The blunder at Betwys-y-Coed won't set us back will it?"

"Not unless that Jett of yours has given away our secrets to the Ministry," replied Odin, leader of the northern UK territory. He looked much more the part of an underground operative with over half of his face covered in hideous burn scars that he did nothing to hide.

Morrigan tossed a strand of her long dark hair over her shoulder as she sighed in deep irritation. "Yes. It is a rather delicate situation," she replied. "If she were nothing more than a courier, I wouldn't be concerned, but because she is so much more in my territory, she is more valuable if she opens her mouth."

"But you said she had contacted you," Odin reminded her. "That's promising. And even if she has revealed anything, it would hardly be enough to thwart us. With your men and mine, we will have little trouble. The Ministry still greatly underestimates our numbers – fortunately for us."

Someone rapped on the door and Odin gruffly called them in. A handsome eighteen-year-old with golden shimmering hair entered, bowing his head slightly.

"Julius and Malleus are here when you're ready to see them, Sir," he said.

"Very good, Marduk," Odin replied. "But I'd like them to talk to you first, as this will be your first serious mission as a Millitis Optime. Afterward, I want you to speak with your commander to make sure everything about your improvements are controlled."

"Sir, Dante is dealing with other matters –"

"I don't care, Marduk," Odin said sharply. "What I care about is that you don't foul up my plans with powers that are too strong for you. You realize you could kill everyone around you if you cannot properly harness a phoenix's fire?"

"Yes, Sir. I promise I will not endanger the mission," Marduk answered quickly, bowing his head lower and backing out of the room. "Good day, and you Ma'am."

"If it wasn't before, you've certainly improved it," Morrigan said flirtatiously as the door closed. "I swear I'll never get tired of looking at that man."

"He's not your type, Morrigan," Odin grumbled. "He's too disciplined and boring. That's why Dante chose him for the phoenix powers – we needed someone who wasn't impetuous. Recklessness and fire are not a good combination."

Meanwhile, in a neighboring room sat Roman and an old friend. Their faces were uncovered for the moment. In this part of the building no one wore their masks, because if you were good enough to be allowed there, it didn't matter who saw your face.

Roman's friend was a burly man with short blond hair and a square jaw. His name was Sabian Barker, but here his name was "Malleus". He and the Italian had known each other since Roman (or Julius in the underground) moved to London eleven years ago. It was this man who recruited Roman as an Optimates and the major reason he'd gotten so far so fast.

Malleus had been thrown into Azkaban years ago, leaving Roman without someone constantly looking over his shoulder, thus giving him the chance to double cross the Optimates – a task which had become infinitely harder since Malleus's escape from the prison.

But all of that would be over soon. Roman wouldn't have to worry about being a double agent for much longer. Jett had laid out his choices very simply the day before and he'd finally made up his mind. He was tired of fighting the loosing battle. Now was the perfect time for burning his bridges behind him.

Welcome back, Survival Instinct! He always liked the name Julius better.

"So have you made up your mind?" asked Malleus.

"Hmm?" said Roman, resurfacing from his thoughts.

"Where am I going? With you? Or am I part of the distraction?" asked his friend eagerly.

'_You'd think we were going on a field trip_,' Roman thought as he looked at Malleus's excited expression. "Er, you're with me. You're father would rather I not put you so close to the M–"

He was cut off as Marduk opened the door and came inside, nodding politely at them.

"I thought my dad was coming back with you," Malleus complained.

The young man sat down with them, trying in vain to hide his annoyance with being shunted around by the higher-ups. "Odin is still with Morrigan. He wants me to talk with you two before he comes," he explained dryly. "Then I've been ordered to go back to Dante, who will only send me here again. So, let's get down to business, shall we?"

Roman raised an eyebrow at the overly serious kid and Malleus grinned nastily.

"Geez. You're such a stiff," commented the big blond man. "You're from an old pure blood family aren't you? Not one of these berks who lucked out by having three or four generations of wizards in the gene pool. What's your surname?"

"Allaway," Marduk answered flatly.

Roman was not familiar with the name, but he'd never put them to heart like Malleus had. Apparently Allaway was a good one, because his friend's eyebrows quickly shot up.

The blond man whistled, impressed. "Wow! You're even more refined than the Malfoys! I'm surprised you don't have six fingers on each hand."

"I wouldn't tell Morrigan your family tree is straight as a board," Roman told Marduk with a smirk. "You don't want to give her another reason to jump your bones."

Malleus laughed heartily at this. Marduk's expression never changed, but his skin suddenly seemed to glow iridescent – like a mutant blush.

Roman chuckled. "You may want to work on that tell, Marduk," he said. "You have a pretty good poker face, but your powers give you away."

"Can you brief me on the mission now?" Marduk asked, refusing to get out of work mode.

Roman leaned back in his chair and replied with a sneer, "No."

"Why not?"

"How am I supposed to brief you on the mission now, if I have to talk to Odin about it first and you didn't bring him in?" Roman asked haughtily.

Marduk's skin glowed brighter than ever and he finally allowed himself to scowl openly at them. "You two are bastards," he snapped as he rose from his seat and walked briskly to the door.

"Aw, don't go," Malleus teased as the door slammed closed. He turned to Roman with a mischievous grin. "You could have briefed him, couldn't you?"

"Yeah," Roman admitted. "But if I did, I wouldn't be able to annoy Dante by sending him back to the lab."

"I hate that bugger," Malleus agreed, still smiling.

3

The rain moved over the Snook Tree Reserve, home of Blood Traitor headquarters, later that night. The sounds of it beating on the roof and windows greeted Ferris as he left the basement to stretch his legs after sitting for so long.

The young man gingerly touched the bridge his nose as he strolled down the hall – it was mostly healed now, but it was still sore. The cut on his arm had mended much quicker. Altogether, he had come out of the last fight much better off than he had during the one in December.

His stomach grumbled unpleasantly, and he paused as he reached the kitchen door. He honestly couldn't remember if he'd eaten anything since breakfast, but his insides were demanding nourishment. He thought about ignoring it and sneaking off to bed instead, but something caught his attention.

Somewhere behind the kitchen door, there was a noise – like a person scraping their feet against the tile floor. Thinking it might be Grandfather Snook, Ferris opened the door to say good night. However, it wasn't Mr. Snook.

There, clinging to the kitchen counter top not far from the back door, was a woman with long straight blond hair still dripping from the rain outside. She looked badly hurt.

"Jules!" Ferris cried, rushing to her as she lost her grasp on the counter and slumped down the cabinet. "Oh my God. Jules, what happened?"

She was obviously weak and out of breath. She found his eyes with hers and managed a small smile. "Escaped…" she told him exhaustedly.

His brow furrowed anxiously as he kissed her briefly on the forehead. "You sure did," he muttered as he looked over her cut and bruised face. "I hope you killed Dante on your way out."

"Heh… No," she breathed. "I might have killed his house."

"Fantastic," he congratulated soberly, "but I think you're seriously hurt. Come on." He picked her up from the floor and carried her bridal style out of the kitchen.

Taking her up the stairs, Ferris was almost happy she hadn't killed Dante. Now he would have the chance to get back at her husband for torturing her over the past years.

4

Not long after her discovery, Jules was in her room at her Great-grand-parents' house, barely cognizant as she lay on her bed. Ferris had called on his mother again to help and now he was explaining to her why they couldn't take Jules to St. Mungos. The rest of the Blood Traitors and the Snooks waited uneasily inside the room, listening to every word as the Medi-witch went over their leader with her wand, checking her symptoms.

"Ferris, this is more serious than cuts and a few broken facial bones," Dr. Thorpe told him. "She's been hexed by whatever she escaped from. Her brain is fine, but her body isn't doing everything it's told."

"Can you not help her, then?" Ferris asked worriedly.

"I'll do what I can, but she needs more help than I can give her here. Please, you have to take her to the hospital."

"We can't!" Sydney interjected.

"It's too dangerous," said Ferris for the fifth time.

"I don't understand why. If she stays here, her condition will only get worse. If it's more dangerous for her _not_ to get further treatment, then her being chased by the Ministry or the Neos is the least of your worries."

Melencolia Snook stepped in at this point. "My great-granddaughter is not being chased, Doctor," she explained. "But the only reason she's not, is because both the Ministry and the Neos think she is dead. Taking her to St. Mungos is not an option."

Dr. Thorpe's eyes widened as realization sunk in. "What did you say her name was?" she asked.

"Julissa," Melencolia answered.

Dr. Thorpe's head snapped back to Ferris. "This is _that_ Jules?" she demanded. "The girl you dated in school? The one who was killed by the Optimates?"

Her son sighed and nodded.

"Merlin's beard, Ferris," she snarled. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No," he countered smartly. "You _shouldn't_ know _any_ of this, but there's no helping that now. I just want her to live!"

"What if we called Mr. Potter and got him to help like he did last time," Gus asked from the corner. "You know, no questions asked."

"It's too late for that. Just because no one writes her name on a chart doesn't mean Dante won't be able to find her," Ferris told his friend.

"Well, then I'm going to need some help," Dr. Thorpe said.

"Kermit, perhaps you could call in a favor from Dr. Briefman," Melencolia said to her husband, who nodded grimly and leaned heavily on his cane as he quickly shuffled out of the room.

Logan moved past Celeste and Sydney to follow after the old man, muttering something about contacting his ex-wife.

"Wait!" Dr. Thopre cried. "We'll need some things – potions and remedies. I'll write down a list and they can bring it when they come." She immediately produced a pad of paper and a pen from her pocket and started scribbling down what she needed.

"How long do you think she'll be unconscious?" Alton asked.

"It's hard to say, Alton," she answered, never slowing her pen. "It could be a few hours or a few days – it depends on how long she's been under the hex without being treated. And from the look of it, she's been like this for quite a while."

5

The following morning, Harry sat at his desk in his office. He was working on his case file to the sounds of Ginny interviewing another person applying to be his next assistant at Agape's old desk. This one – a skinny brunette – called herself Kimmy and was the third and last applicant for the day.

The Auror basically ignored them as he worked, but he found himself listening to the conversation at one point as he stared thoughtfully at the date, June twenty-second, at the top of the paper he was taking notes on.

"So, Kimmy, you've worked as an assistant before?" Ginny asked.

"That's right," the pretty young woman replied brightly. "I worked for the district manager of Firebolt Brooms for a couple of years."

Harry could see Ginny nodding out of the corner of his eye. "Of course, you know being an Auror's assistant is much different, right?" she said.

"Of course," beamed Kimmy.

Ginny smiled back and Harry knew she was just getting started. He poised his quill above his notes and collected his thoughts before jotting down a few more things about his daughter's friend, Trevor.

"How close were you to your boss at Firebolt?" Ginny continued. "Professionally, I mean."

Kimmy thought rather hard about this. Finally she said, "I suppose we were friendly. We didn't hate each other or anything like that."

"Mm-hmm… And how well to you hold up under stress?"

Kimmy's smile turned brighter than a neon sign. "Excellently! I don't mind a heavy work load in a short amount of time, and I finish everything before I leave the office at night. I'm quite efficient."

Harry could hear his wife's voice change ever so slightly when she spoke next – a tone she had adopted from Molly Weasley when addressing a young, naïve person.

"That's great, really," said the redhead, "but what about even more stressful than a heavy work load?"

Kimmy's smile never faltered as she asked, "Could you maybe give me an example?"

Ginny had a reply in less than a second. "Say you had to do all of the paperwork you see around us, keep Mr. Potter's schedule in order, run errands to other departments, and represent him in certain situations, all the while avoiding capture and personal harm by enemies of the Ministry within, let's say… a two week period. How well would you hold up then?"

Though Harry's head was bent over his desk, he stopped writing and his eyes looked over at his wife. He wondered if even Agape would have worked for him if she had been interviewed by Ginny.

The smile was gone from Kimmy's face as she looked from her interviewer to Harry and back again. "I er… I'm not…"

"Understandable, Miss," Ginny said immediately. "There is a job opening up in the Goblin Liaison Office, if you'd like to check there instead."

"Th-thank you," stammered Kimmy as she rose from her seat. "Have a great day."

"You too," Ginny replied benignly as the young woman left the office. She turned around to find Harry giving her a knowing look. "What?"

"You don't think that was overkill?" he inquired, amused.

She rolled her eyes. "Harry, out of all the Aurors on Level Two, only five of them have assistants. It's important that applicants know what they're up against if they want to work for you. They may not brief others like this, but you went through at least four –"

"Five."

"– five assistants before you were lucky enough to get Agape."

"So you're just cutting to the chase then?" Harry asked.

"Yes, and don't worry. I may have scared the first three off, but it's only the first day."

A memo zipped into his office at that moment and dropped onto his desk. He unfolded it to find familiar handwriting saying that the leader of the Blood Traitors turned up last night and was currently at HQ in bad condition. It was signed with a G. S., which Harry reasonably deducted was Gus Schmitt.

The Auror stood and gathered his files together. "Maybe you should talk to Remus's daughter – she seems like she hates her job, and unlike Yates, I'm not a wrinkled bag of hate."

Ginny grinned even as she rolled her eyes again. "Okay. Where are you going, by the way?"

"BT HQ," he replied in short form. "One of my MPs just returned home."

"Tell everyone I hope they're healing nicely," she said as he headed out the door.

6

It was evening before Jules opened her eyes. She woke during one of the few times no one was there watching over her. She felt slightly lightheaded, but when she tested her arms and legs, they seemed not to work against her any longer. She'd been hexed by Howard's barrier when she broke out of his house.

She'd busted out immediately after he'd slammed the door to his room the morning after his Optime failed. She never gave him the chance to reinforce the house – which seemed to be an extension of his own will at times and thus fluctuated with each day. The barrier coated the entire outside of their home, making sure she couldn't even break down a wall to get out. She could open doors and windows, but going any farther outside would mean sacrificing herself to its hex. And that was exactly what she had done.

However, this time she knew precisely where to run before the spell could take full effect. Of course, Howard had come after her, but he never expected her to go _back_ into the house.

Once the barrier was breached, it was breached. The hex was there even if she did go back inside. All she had to do was wait until he was too far away to see what direction she ran in.

The spell was meant to slow her down so that he could recapture her with the least amount of harm, and though he had failed this time, it had taken her the entire day to finally reach her Great-grandparents' home. The gale wailing its own complaints outside had not helped her either.

She slowly sat up and let her legs hang off the side of her bed. In that position, she and the vanity mirror were face to face, making her pause. She had been Gwendolyn Dante so often recently that she barely recognized her normal reflection. Her straight, honey colored hair had reverted back to its natural white-blond curls and her eyes had changed from brown to pale blue. There was no makeup on her face and instead of stylish robes, she wore a t-shirt and pajama bottoms.

Ferris must have taken pity on her and made her look more like herself. She was expected to be no one else here.

A thought occurred to her not a second later: no sounds were coming from the house. Was everyone gone? How long had she slept? Was she too late to warn them?

A panic rose in her chest as she crossed the bedroom as quickly as her woozy head would allow. She fumbled with the door knob and stumbled into the hall. Reaching the stairs, she stopped, hesitant in her currently unbalanced state.

As familiar voices floated up to her from the first floor, relief swept over her. They weren't voices of people in danger, just her friends, safe from Dante and Odin. Now she could take the stairs more slowly, using all her concentration not to fall.

Gus came out of a doorway and spotted her coming down. His eyes went wide behind his glasses. "Merlin's beard, Julissa!" he cried, rushing to help her the rest of the way. "N-now, you have no idea how relieved I am to see you d-doing so much better, but you can't go wandering about on your own just yet."

Her alert eyes watched him carefully as he assisted her and she could see he was favoring his right leg on the steps. He looked fine otherwise.

"There you are," he beamed, looming over her by at least a head and a half. "I'm so glad you're alright."

She smiled back at him shortly, before more pressing thoughts pushed back into her mind. However, articulating these thoughts was a different matter.

"What moment…" she began before stopping short at the jerky, slightly mechanical sound of her own voice. She knew what she wanted to say, but she could tell her mouth wasn't going to cooperate.

"Pardon?" asked Gus, slightly confused.

"Sorry," she said. "Tricky to speech. Er… the date?"

"Ah! It's Friday."

"Date?"

"…Th-the twenty-second," Gus answered again, at last delivering what she wanted. "You've only been asleep for a night and a day – not bad, considering how long Dr. Thorpe said you could be out."

Jules raised her eyebrows at him. "Ferret's mum?"

Gus chuckled as he guided her down the hall. "I suppose you mean Ferris?"

"Exact."

"Yes, she came and your grandfather sent for Dr. Briefman, who came with Logan's ex-wife, the nurse," Gus explained happily. "They were able to do quite a lot for you once they all got here."

"Logan daught… uh…chi…Lib," Jules struggled, frowning.

"Liberty?" Gus offered helpfully. "We got her back, yes. Thanks to some help from the Order. She's fine, and so are the rest of us. You're who we're most concerned about."

Jules waved off this worry. "I'm fine," she managed to say. "Will find healthier soon."

"…Heh… Indeed. Let's let the others see you. Everyone is here, even Mr. Potter – well, he just left to get Agape, but nonetheless." He took her into the basement and again helped her down the steps.

Several heads turned her way the moment her bare foot touched the cement floor. Logan was the closest and his tired eyes met hers, immediately brightening with a smile that revealed fangs which hadn't been there the last time she'd seen him. "Jules!" he exclaimed as he rose to greet her.

That got everyone else's attention as well and they all came to her at once. Ferris looked the most surprised to see her awake, but also one of the happiest.

"I only left for five minutes," he told her after he kissed her.

"It appears the medi-wizards were right," Gus said to his blond friend, "She's having some problems with language, but it hasn't stopped her yet."

Alton suddenly pushed his way through the group and enveloped Jules in a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you back," he gushed without letting go. "Can I stop being the leader now?"

This actually got a laugh out of Jules and she hugged him back before pulling away and saying, "You act fine job."

"Thanks, I think."

As they spoke and asked her questions that she could only give halfway lucid answers to, she peered around at them, assessing how bad a toll their latest battle had taken. Most of them looked well mended, though several wore fading purple badges for their efforts. She was surprised to see even Yvette carrying a speckled scar that spanned from her left eye over the bridge of her nose and above her right eyebrow. She knew the marks had come from one of Dante's spitting lizard Optimtes, but she was amazed the scar would last so long on a vampire.

It wasn't long before Potter and Agape came down the basement stairs as well, having just arrived.

"Look who's up," Harry commented cheerfully as Agape hugged Jules right away. "I've been here all day, and Schmitt said you could be out for weeks."

Jules had never felt so warmly greeted by any group in her life. She was grateful to be home at last.

Eventually, Ferris insisted she sit, and they all moved over to the large oval conference table in the back, Harry and Agape taking Trevor's and Roman's chairs. That was when Jules decided it was time to get down to business; she had to find a way to tell her team what she knew was coming. It would be doubly hard now, as (thanks to Dante's hex screwing up her language skills) she couldn't talk normally even if she were able openly discuss Odin's secret plans.

She decided to start with one of the most pressing matters: "Has Italy…Italian speak to you?"

They knew who she meant, and there was a collective silence among them before Alton answered bitterly, "No, Roman hasn't contacted anyone yet. We took it as a sign he wasn't coming back."

Then without warning, Sydney gasped and sat bolt upright in her seat. "Wait!" she blurted. "I totally forgot to tell you! Last night I talked to Trevor because Alton wanted me to warn him about Roman, but he said he'd already seen him in Hogsmeade when Logan was there with Harry and Agape. Trevor said he was acting strange – you know all mysterious and such."

"Where in Hogsmeade did he see him?" Logan inquired.

"I…I can't remember. He said it right when Jules got here, so I told him I would call him back – which I never did," she admitted, a bit embarrassed she had been so irresponsible. "I should have paid closer attention."

Harry frowned and looked at Alton beside him. "Does that mean Trevor was in Hogsmeade again last night?" he asked, remembering that electronics didn't work at Hogwarts.

Alton shook his head, realizing what Harry was thinking. "No. He can still use his mobile at school."

Harry was taken aback. "You mean your phones can override Hogwarts's spell?"

The red haired man smiled smugly at him, replying, "Yep. I may not be a good team leader, but I happen to be the biggest electronics geek the magical world has ever seen."

Jules called their attention back by continuing. "Italy with Odin," she said flatly and slowly. "He'll continue in Hog now."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," said Celeste crossly, but her eyes betrayed how sad she was. Several of the others looked this way as well – Gus, Imogene and Yvette most of all – none of them had really expected Roman to turn against them.

"Learners move to house tomorrow," Jules continued, changing the subject and managing to distract them with her absurd sentence – she was immensely appreciative of them taking her seriously even when she wasn't making much sense. "Kids won't live… the same… not as safe now."

Everyone paused to work out what she was saying, and it was Harry who got the point first.

"That's what McGonagall said when I went to see Trevor," he agreed. "She was afraid they wouldn't be as protected outside Hogwarts."

Jules nodded eagerly, glad she had gotten someone on the right path so far. "Not as safe," she repeated. "Teacher correctly. Neos trap me exact behind I left school."

Another confused silence passed.

"They only caught Jules once she dropped out," Ferris helped.

"Thanks, Ferret," Jules said and watched Ferris wince slightly at being addressed by his least favorite nickname from Hogwarts. She shrugged at him, silently apologizing for not being able get his proper name out.

"I've told Tonks and Kingsley that we need to stay on high alert," Harry said. "The Ministry is waiting for Odin to make his move."

"You'll take too not on time," Jules told him rather helplessly. "Late."

"Late? What do you mean?"

"Can't explain."

"Has something already happened?" the Auror demanded worriedly.

"Can't explain," she said again ruefully.

"You looked relieved to hear the date earlier" Gus mentioned. "Can we assume it hasn't happened yet?"

Jules struggled for a moment, but quickly gave up and said once more, "Can't explain."

"I'd take that as a yes," Celeste added.

When Jules didn't confirm or deny the statement, the others basically agreed.

"Poe – Pot…" Jules stammered. She took an organizing breath and tried a second time. "P-Potter dialogue to boy at Hogwash?"

"Er… Trevor?" offered Harry. "Yes, we talked."

"Hints?"

"Maybe," he replied. "He showed me his mutation and said Dante had taught him how to control it. He said that he didn't remember much, but he never saw other kids his age among the Optimates…"

Jules's eyes grew wide and she leaned forward, nodding for him to continue. "Improvements?"

"Yeah, he said that's what they called the mutation, and that his hands were really tough."

Jules nodded vigorously.

"What? His hands?"

"Improvements!"

Harry thought of everything Trevor had said about his hands and started spouting off facts: "Their tough and very, very sharp."

Jules flapped her hands in a gathering motion to make him continue.

"Even in normal form the skin doesn't break. Uhh…Dante told him not to cut off his legs with them…"

"I feel like we're playing Charades," Celeste mused.

"He's more flexible."

"Exact!" Jules suddenly exclaimed before waving her hands at him again.

"He's a weapon," Alton interrupted before Harry could continue guessing.

Jules gasped and looked straight at him. "Can't explain," she said, but they knew he had hit the nail on the head.

"Nice work, Drake," said Harry.

"Actually, I was translating for Payton," the red haired man explained, pointing to his girlfriend.

"So what does that mean? Is Trevor dangerous?" Sydney asked, obviously concerned for her friend.

Payton called their attention by clapping her hand on the table. She started signing and Alton Translated for her:

"Trevor isn't at their mercy anymore, but Jules keeps mentioning Hogwarts and the students not being safe. Are the students directly under threat?"

Jules didn't nod or shake her head. She simply stared at Payton and said, "Can't explain."

The short haired woman started signing again.

"H-hold on, you're going too fast…" Alton stumbled. "Er – If they leave tomorrow, will they be in danger?"

"Can't explain."

"Are the Militis Optime involved?"

"Can't explain."

Harry swore under his breath. "We've got to warn McGonagall before it's too late. And I'll inform the other Aurors – maybe we can get something done."

Alton looked to Jules for permission and upon receiving her nod, turned to the rest of the table. "Okay, folks, let's get started! Sydney, call Trevor back and tell him what's going on –"

"But make sure he keeps it to himself until we know more," Agape interjected. "If the kids start a panic now, they may think it's a rumor and not take us seriously."

"Right," Alton agreed. "Celeste, get me that file we made of all the Militis powers – we have to come up with some strategies to defend ourselves better. Maybe Logan and Ferris can help me with that."

"Better let the rest of the Order know, Mr. Potter," Gus added to Harry. "We'll really need your help."

"I'm already on it, Schmitt. You should tell your boss," the Auror replied as he jumped from his chair and hurried up the stairs.

"Of course," said the lanky man, quickly following.

Jules watched them all scatter to their tasks and couldn't help but smile proudly. They may not have gotten the entire message about Odin's plans, but they recognized the threat. She picked Payton out of the crowd and tapped her on the shoulder. When the smaller woman turned toward her Jules wrapped her arms around her.

"Thank you," she said, "you're brilliant." They both grinned as they realized her sentence had actually made sense.

Payton signed: '_You're getting better already_.'

Jules smiled again, nodding. Then she left her vigilantes to their work – she would leave the most important part of Odin's scheme to them, but she still had a job of her own to do and she didn't have much time to prepare.

She was gone by the morning.

_(Chapter twelve coming soon! I will finish before the seventh book. I will finish before the seventh book...)_


	13. Chapter 12 A Bit of a Crisis

Chapter Twelve

A Bit of a Crisis

1

"I'm glad you didn't try to kill me or anything when you saw me," said Jules as she stood in an alleyway branching off of the main road of Hogsmeade.

Jett yawned hugely and leaned against the opposite wall. "Well, I generally don't kill people for merely finding me," she said. "I'm glad you're not angry about me blowing a hole in your safe house. Now can you get to the reason why you're here? I haven't slept all night and I'd like to go home before I have to go back to work."

"I need to ask you a favor," Jules said, plainly stating her business.

Jett uttered a short, tired laugh. "What makes you think I'd help a Blood Traitor? Did I not just use you all to escape life in Azkaban without ever giving you a scrap of information?"

"You gave Gus information," Jules countered.

Jett paused then, focusing on the younger woman more fully. "What did he say?" she asked coolly.

"Nothing out loud," the blond assured her. "But I had been gone for quite a while and I haven't been able to ask many proper questions until about an hour ago, so I had to find another source of information. It just so happens, Gus keeps a day-to-day journal that I sneaked a peak at earlier tonight. He mentioned your conversation, Mihayla."

Jett hesitated for a moment before laughing again. "Okay, so you're relatively sure I'm on your side and you think I'll just drop everything and help you out?"

"You won't have to drop everything," Jules promised. "I just want you to take me into the Ministry when you go today. I'm not asking you do anything you wouldn't already be doing from the start."

"You know I'm going to the Ministry today, hmm?" asked the brunet, not sounding very surprised. "You've got a lot of bottle. How am I supposed to get you in there without blowing my own cover?"

"You can carry me."

Unwilling to play the young woman's games, Jett waited for Jules to explain further.

They regarded each other for another second before suddenly, Jules started changing form. Jett finally looked impressed as she watched the girl morph into a small snake for a moment, then reverted back to human form.

"You're an animagus?" Jett asked, unable to hold back a smile.

"And a portable one at that," Jules added. "So what do you say?"

Jett shook her head incredulously, but extended her hand for Jules to shake.

"It's a deal."

2

Lenore Lupin yawned hugely as she stepped off of the lift onto Level Two at the Ministry and walked down the hall. She held two coffees in her hand, one of which would be her only consolation for having to come into work early. The other was for her boss in an attempt to make her a little less unbearable.

Entering the large room full of Auror cubicles, she found the place to be only a little quieter than usual. She couldn't believe how many of these people never seemed to go home. She passed the same five cubicles on her usual way to Investigations: the tall Scottish woman, who always seemed to be talking to the grey-haired man who shared a wall with her; the twitchy middle aged man, who nervously looked over his shoulder whenever someone passed his door; the tiny strange looking woman who must have been part goblin; and last (and most definitely least) was the double-crosser Crocker's empty office, soon to be filled by another.

She walked by them without much thought and rounded a corner into the hall leading to Investigations. She nearly collided with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Head Auror, who was currently talking to Harry.

"Oh! Excuse me, Kingsley," she said, stepping around him.

"Sorry, Lenore," the big man muttered distractedly.

As she walked away, she overheard part of their conversation:

"What do you mean it's not a reliable tip?" hissed Harry. "He can't say that! Any threat on the school is serious enough to keep the kids there!"

This caught Lenore's attention right away and as they paused at the mouth of the hall, she turned the next corner and stopped too, carefully placing the hot coffee cups beside her foot so her hands wouldn't burn while she eavesdropped.

"Not without direct permission from the higher ups," Kingsley was saying, equally displeased but much calmer about it.

"Even McGonagall agrees we should hold the students there at least another day to give us time to target the attack," Harry retorted.

"But they think McGonagall's too paranoid and we can't legally withhold the Express without permission."

"To hell with legalities!" Harry snapped. "We'll stand on the tracks if we have to. You know they wouldn't attack the school itself – it's too big for them. But they could target the train if they had enough forces. Whatever they're planning, a bunch of vigilantes won't be able to stop them single-handedly. We need all the Aurors we can get."

"I know, I know," Kingsley said. "Here comes Tonks."

Lenore heard the woman come into the hall.

"I can't get Hellewege to lend a hand either," she panted, obviously having just run there. "He refused to sign the proper forms unless I could give him proof of the threat. Something is going on that we don't know about. Why would anyone refuse to protect the students?"

Harry growled furiously. "We're going to be too late! The minute those kids step outside Hogwarts –"

Gus Schmitt dashed by Lenore at that moment, hardly noticing her but startling her enough to make her miss Harry's sentence as he ran up the hall the Aurors were in.

"Mr. Potter! I told Mr. Moore about the situation," he told them.

"Who are you?" Kingsley inquired.

"He's a Blood Traitor," Tonks informed him.

"What did Moore say?" Harry asked Gus.

"He thinks I've gone around the twist! Told me to take the day off and stop pulling all-nighters," Gus explained helplessly.

"Isn't that nice of him," Harry muttered sarcastically. "Well, you'll need the day off – go back to the others and tell them the Ministry won't cooperate with us."

Gus started to rush off, when Harry suddenly changed his mind and called him back.

"Wait! Wait! C'mere! Ask McGonagall what she has in mind for the Express," he said quickly. "And if we _have_ to put the students on the train, tell her to send them off an hour early."

"Good," Kingsley agreed. "The Neos may not be on target in time to do anything if we beat them to it."

"Doesn't the Express have a back up plan for this sort of situation?" Tonks asked.

"I'm positive it does, but who knows if that will be enough," Kinglesy told her.

"BOO!"

Lenore nearly jumped out of her skin and whirled around to find someone standing just behind her. It was a dark haired young man with a crooked nose wearing a huge, goofy grin.

"Remy! You git!" she snapped, in outrage. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing here? Wait, hold that thought," she added, pressing a hand to her friend's mouth as she listened for the Aurors' voices. When she didn't hear them, she leaned around the corner slightly to see they had left.

She growled in frustration as Remy Cole separated her hand from his mouth by sliding a book under her palm. She turned back to him.

"Well?" she demanded.

He flashed a shiny visitor's pin at her. "My boss wanted me to deliver this book to some bloke in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes," he explained.

"Remy, that's on level three," she told him, "you're on level two."

"I know!" he replied with another grin full of crooked teeth. "I wanted to visit you – I haven't seen you in ages! It's like you started working for the big 'MOM' and ended up an overworked brainwashed droid who never sees her friends. Not that we would let you back in the clubhouse anyway – girlies who work for the Man aren't welcome."

"What clubhouse? Remy, I'm not a rebel anymore, remember?" Lenore said as she eyed the book in his hands. "I'm respectable now – and if being yelled at and insulted were also a form of respect I'd be the Minister of Magic by now. What kind of bookstore _delivers_ books anyway?"

"The weirdest one in Hogsmeade," he said proudly before clapping a hand over his heart and proclaiming: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom –"

"Okay, you really have to stop," she said, picking up the coffees from the floor and walking around him.

"Hang on!" he begged, moving up beside her as she briskly made her way down the hall. "I have something important to tell you."

"Okay," she said, distracted.

"I asked Antonia to marry me and she said yes!"

The small woman swung her head around so fast she nearly tripped. "You're kidding!" she exclaimed, shocked.

"Nope! I'm gonna be a hubby," Remy beamed euphorically.

Remy's girlfriend, Antonia, was a graduating seventh year at Hogwarts, and one of Lenore's favorite people. In normal circumstances, she would have started squealing gleefully and jumping up and down with excitement. She was so pleased for her two friends, but the conversation she had just overheard put a damper on her feelings. It sounded like students were in danger, and that meant Antonia as well. Lenore couldn't let on that she knew, or Remy would rush straight out and get himself killed.

"Can you imagine how screwed up our kids will look? My bad teeth and her frizzy red hair – they won't have a chance," Remy babbled obliviously.

"I'm really happy for you," Lenore told him earnestly. "We should celebrate later. I'll tell Quin."

"Brilliant! Tell him to bring his goddess of a wife too; I haven't seen her since graduation. And what about your Irish boy-toy? Will you be bringing him?"

"Sure," Lenore assured him. "Er, I'm really sorry, mate, but this is my office." she pointed to the door they were now standing in front of. "Can I talk to you later tonight?"

"Yeah," he answered, looking no less jubilant. "I can't wait! Don't be afraid to show off your freak pride – you're still one of us at heart."

"I never hide my colors," she replied, gesturing to her all black outfit. "Good seeing you."

"Bye!"

She quickly closed the door behind her and deposited the coffee cups on the corner of her desk. She could hear the faint squawk of Miss Yates calling from her office, "Lupin, I've got the vampire kidnapper waiting in the Viewing Box. I want you to take notes on the interview."

Lenore ignored her as she scribbled a quick memo. She had to ask her father what was happening. Harry had mentioned vigilantes to Kingsley, which meant the Order was involved and so was her dad. She needed to know what was going on if she was going to help.

3

"Okay, listen up!" Roman shouted from the balcony of an underground parlor. Below him gathered scores of men and women working for Odin and Morrigan in the name of purity. The two leaders were watching him from a doorway nearby, out of sight, but not out of mind. Malleus stood beside Roman on the balcony, ready to shut anyone up if they weren't paying attention. Dante was there as well, remaining far away from the two men for reasons only known to him.

The mob quickly quieted and tilted their masked faces up to see Roman as he continued.

"You've all been told your tasks: once on the scene, take one Mudblood at a time and secure them before returning for another. We won't have cover for long, so stay behind the Militis Optime. Move quickly and do not allow yourself to be caught."

Malleus stepped up then. "You buggers better remember: if one single brat ends up dead on the scene, we will hunt you down. If you can't complete your mission without killing inexperienced little rats," at this point he turned his face toward the hooded figure standing on the far side of the balcony, "you will be given over to Dante and he'll deal with you as he wishes."

A murmur ran through the crowd and only died down once he spoke again.

"Keep in mind, that we have to handle this delicately," Malleus continued. "Mudblood brats are useless dead, but alive, they have a great purpose to us. Thanks to Odin's idea, purifying this country will be made much easier from this point on. If you strip a tree of its leaves, the trunk won't die – but if you manipulate the leaves, or rather _improve_ them, you can bend the tree to your will."

"Alright!" cried Roman. "Morrigan's people will hold off the Ministry, the rest of you get moving and stay on task! We don't have a lot of time!"

4

Ginny walked into Harry's office, wondering if he had even come home last night. He wasn't at his desk, nor could she find him among the cluster of cubicles outside. She was beginning to get worried that something very bad was happening somewhere.

Deciding it would be best to wait and see if he might come back, the heavily pregnant woman took a seat in the nearest chair to rest her feet. After all, she had the entire day before she would need to be at Kings Cross to pick up Kyla.

Sighing and trying not to worry too much, she leaned back and closed her eyes for a second. She had just opened them and looked back toward the hall when she suddenly saw the familiar profile of Agape Eishorbgy rush past the doorway.

Ginny quickly hefted herself up and leaned out of the door, calling after the tall woman. "Agape! Have you seen Harry?"

Agape halted reluctantly and turned back. "He's left," she offered with and apologetic shrug. "We're having a bit of a crisis. I'm really sorry, but I have to go."

With that she continued her sprint down the hall, leaving poor Ginny clueless and concerned. Now she was definitely going to wait a while longer, just so she might possibly overhear what was going on from someone else. Under normal circumstances she would have simply run after Agape, but her swollen belly reminded her that she had other priorities to think about. At least in Harry's office she wouldn't be at home wondering what was happening.

5

Alton frowned intensely as he stood beside his former Headmistress and observed the students of Hogwarts herding out of the school, all of them happy to be going home. He heard snippets of conversations as they passed but none of them seemed to think there was anything wrong, despite being told to be ready an hour earlier, then being held back until regular release time. Harry's sneak tactic of leaving an hour earlier had backfired. Apparently the train couldn't be prepped and ready to go in such a short period of time.

To Alton's right, McGonagall's mouth was a straight line, her lips pressed so tightly together they had turned white. He and the Blood Traitors had watched that morning as she stood before her student body to say goodbye for the summer, only to sit back down without ever saying a word. She told him she was too afraid to open her mouth because she couldn't do it without shouting that they were all in danger and the Ministry wouldn't allow her to protect them by keeping them at Hogwarts for another day.

Seeing how deeply she cared for the children, Alton was sorry he had caused her so much grief with petty pranks and smart remarks when he had attended Hogwarts. Now she looked close to tears as she saw her students walking into an obvious trap.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll protect them, Professor," he promised. "Someone may be working against us in the Ministry, but that's never stopped us before."

She nodded shortly, glancing at the small group of Blood Traitors and Order members standing across the hall. Several Weasley's – Charlie, Fred, and George – dotted the team with bright red hair and Ron and Hermione were with Harry waiting for the students at the train platform. All of the Lupins were present as well; Professor Tundra Lupin stood with her children, Lenore and Quinlan, as Remus conversed grimly with Logan. Professor Longbottom looked forcedly pleasant as he waved goodbye to a few students. Gus was standing silently with Sydney and Ferris, while the vampires, Imogene and Yvette, stayed a few feet away from the others.

Even a couple of extras had joined them: Cullen Pembroke had come from Hogsmeade and (much to Alton's discontent) Payton had come from the BT headquarters.

He had argued with his non-magic girlfriend all morning, saying it was too dangerous for her, but as usual she had won, insisting they needed all the help they could get from anyone who was willing.

"That's the last of them," McGonagall said, interrupting his thoughts. "Let's go."

Alton followed her out of the huge oak entrance and together they lead their only defense team down the path to Hogsmeade. Upon reaching the Hogwarts Express platform they met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were keeping watch as the children boarded the train.

"Professor," Hermione said to McGonagall, "maybe we should split the teams up and spread out."

"Yes," McGonagall answered. "That's probably the best way. The Order will protect the engine and the front of the train, and the Blood Traitors will protect the back. Two cars have been added to give us plenty of room, and I'm hoping we can stay relatively out of sight so the children won't ask too many questions – telling them they're targets would start a panic, especially in such tight quarters."

"I'll stay with the Blood Traitors," Harry said as he distractedly searched the faces of the students climbing into the cars.

As they split up, Ferris walked beside the Auror. "Are you looking for your daughter?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry admitted. "I want to warn her. I don't think this should be kept from any of the students, but McGonagall was pretty adamant."

Ferris made a noise of agreement. "I'm glad you think that," he told the older man. "My cousin is here somewhere too – actually I think she's friends with Kyla. I know she's friends with Trevor."

"Then she'd know Kyla alright," Harry nodded. "Is her name Tricia?"

"That's her. I bet they're sitting together."

"Good, they'll be easier to track down."

The Blood Traitors filed into the last car and Harry ended up sitting with Ferris, Sydney, and Gus. Across from their compartment were Logan, Alton, Payton, and the vampires. The two undead blonds were only able to join this daytime battle because they were wearing their rings set with gems that would protect them from the sunlight.

"Do you think Jules is okay," Sydney asked from beside Ferris as the Express started moving and quickly picked up speed.

"I guess," he answered. "She didn't say where she was going or why she couldn't help us, but she usually knows what she's doing."

"I'm worried she won't have enough energy after that hex," said Gus. "I know she was getting better, but who knows how long she'll need to fully recuperate."

Ferris frowned out of the window for a moment before answering. "I don't know, Gus. But I don't think we could stop her from working if we tried, so I guess it doesn't really matter to her."

"Hey, Sydney," Harry said, suddenly struck with an idea. "Do you think you could find my daughter?"

Sydney looked a bit surprised, so he explained: "I want to talk to her, but you would blend into the student body easier. They'd ask fewer questions."

Ferris perked up at this as well. "Yeah, we think she's with Trevor and my cousin. Maybe you could get them?"

The dark haired girl obliged and left the three of them to search for said students.

6

Remy got lost in the halls of level two after saying good bye to Lenore, but he finally found his way back to the lift. He still had to deliver the book to his boss's friend before he went back to work. He pressed the button and waited for the lift to arrive, absentmindedly picking at as scab on his arm until it appeared.

As the gate opened it revealed a large group of people inside, all wearing black hooded robes and black masks. Their eyes locked on him and his blood instantly froze.

"N-Neos," Remy breathed, backing away from them. "Holy sh–"

They piled out of the lift in one sweeping motion and surrounded him. He reached for his wand but one Optimus already held his own to Remy's forehead. The bookstore clerk backed into the wall and uttered a small cry of fright.

"I-I-I don't work here," he sputtered.

The man didn't respond; instead he muttered a hex and suddenly Remy's mouth wouldn't open. He flinched away from his assailant and scrambled to escape, but the Optimus followed him with his wand.

Remy could hear the curse coming out of the man's mouth when the Optimus was suddenly hurled to the floor by a jet of purple sparks.

Trembling, he slowly looked over his shoulder and saw a woman stepping out of the lift with her wand pointing at the fallen Optimus. Her pale face was set with determination and blond curls swept around her shoulders as she advanced.

Remy was unable to say her name under the hex, but he knew who it was.

Her entrance had caught the attention of the other Optimates, and now they turned back to deal with the nuisance. Jules dove in front of Remy and jerked her wand toward the floor. There was a blast of smoke and suddenly, he was being dragged along behind her as she moved around the pack of villains and into the Auror headquarters.

All of the Aurors were already peering over the walls of their cubicles, armed and aiming for the door.

"Optimates!" Jules shouted to them as she and Remy dashed out of their line of fire.

The Aurors were moving in to action before they had even reached a safe corner of the room. Jules swung Remy around and backed him against a wall before removing the spell on his mouth.

"Jules!" he cried, wide eyed.

"Get out of here – it's only going to get worse," she ordered him.

"But, you're here," he said, still in shock. "You're alive…"

"Did you hear me?" she demanded furiously. "You're in danger if you stay here! Get out!"

She spun around to join the Aurors in the fight as more and more Neos poured into the area from every visible entrance. Before she could get very far, Remy lunged forward and pulled her into a hug.

"I've missed you, Jules," he muttered beside her ear. "I knew it was you in the graveyard last Christmas."

Her tense stance relaxed slightly and she quickly hugged him back. "Thanks for the holly," she said, genuinely meaning it. "Now, seriously, you have to get out. It's going to get bad in here."

He nodded but before doing as she said, he brought her close and kissed her dramatically on the mouth.

Jules squealed in surprised disgust. She shoved him away and snapped, "You monkey spanker!"

He chuckled nervously. "Heh, couldn't resist. What if I die in here?"

"You will die if you don't run," she retorted as curtly as she could manage as a grin tugged at the corners of her lips.

At last, he obeyed her and flew down the hall as she went back to the fight. He knew getting out of any of the exits was not an option at this point, so he'd have to hide. As he ran down the halls, ducking spells and Neos, he wished he'd paid closer attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

7

Time was running out for Roman. The Hogwarts Express should have been sighted outside of Hogsmeade by now, but it was no where to be found after leaving the station.

What was worse, the attack on the Ministry to distract law enforcement had already begun, leaving Roman little time to complete the mission. If things continued at this rate, it wouldn't matter what side he had chosen, Odin was going to kill him anyway.

He paced back a forth near the rim of the ledge they were standing on, racking his brain for a solution. He wanted to scream and rip his hair out at this point, but Malleus was already taking care of the yelling.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT CAIN BLOODY TOLD YOU! JUST FIND THE DAMN TRAIN!" the big blond man screamed at a quaking subordinate.

"Yes, Sir," whimpered the Optimus before rushing off.

Malleus then stormed over to Roman. "What are we going to do about this, Julius?" he demanded furiously. "If we don't move soon, Morrigan's group will be fighting for _nothing_! She'll hold it against us forever if we fail! And who knows _what_ my dad will do to us?"

"I know," Roman muttered, closing his eyes and focusing on his thoughts. "Give me a minute."

Malleus seemed reluctant to cooperate, but he held his tongue for the moment.

It was obvious their plans had been recognized and someone besides the Ministry was trying to sneak the students past them. He knew the Express must have an escape rout for such situations, but there were so many places it could go in these mountains, it could take days to find.

Then something occurred to him. "The Express should have been at the ten mile point by now right?"

"Right," Malleus answered gruffly.

"And it hasn't been spotted further down the track?"

"_Right_."

"And I don't care what magical advances have been made in the past years – there's still nothing that can completely cloak a steam engine from perception," Roman continued. "I'm sorry to say this, Malleus, but we'll need a little help from Dante."

"_What_?! No!"

"Yes. We need some more of his freaks." He whirled around and looked over the ledge as Malleus watched him in confusion.

Hiding among the other Militis Optime between several large rocks, he found the radiant skin and hair of a certain phoenix mutate.

"Oy!" he shouted. "Marduk! How bout you poof on up here?"

Roman could see Marduk's distasteful grimace even from a distance, then the young man disappeared in a burst of flames. There was no fire when he reappeared beside Roman, but the Italian felt a wave of heat wash over him.

"How's that?" said the blond dryly.

"You make an excellent poof, Marduk," Roman replied.

The young man narrowed his eyes, but kept quiet about the thinly veiled insult.

"I need you to track down your commander and ask him to lend an Optimus with dog improvements," Roman told him. "Oh, we'll need all of his flying blokes too. And hurry up – we're already ten minutes behind."

Marduk didn't bother to reply, he simply vanished in another burst of flames, making Roman jump back to keep from getting singed.

8

The fact that the Hogwarts Express was taking a new trail did not escape most of the students – at least not those who had made the trip more than once. It became pretty obvious as they started going _up_ a mountain instead of _around_ it. Also, when the train turned, the students near the front could see there were no tracks ahead of the big red engine – it was making its own as it went. However, it was apparent they were traveling a path made for the large vehicle, because very few trees and rocks had to jump out of their way even in the forests.

Some of the children were much more interested in the extra passengers in the first and last cars – there was rumor that the headmistress herself was aboard. Someone claimed to have seen a vampire as well.

Kyla, Trevor, Patricia, and Monty had a compartment to themselves, and hadn't been visited with these whisperings just yet. Monty and Trevor were busy leaning as close as possible to the window to peer down the cliff they were speeding over. Tricia, on the other hand, had actually been forced to move away from the sight and stare at the compartment door to keep from getting sick.

"How do you stand it?" she demanded of the boys without looking at them. "Aren't you afraid?"

"We're on the train, Tricia," Monty pointed out. "We're not going to fall."

"Don't say fall! You know I'm afraid of heights!" Tricia squeaked nervously. "And please stop leaning like that!"

The boys paid her little mind.

"It looks like we'll be going lower soon," Trevor stated as he pointed downward. "We're heading for a bridge over the river down there."

Tricia started biting her lip fretfully. Kyla nudged Monty in the arm and kicked at Trevor's foot to get their attention. The look she gave them made them straighten reluctantly away from the glass and Tricia relaxed some.

"So why do you think we're going this way?" Kyla asked.

"I don't know," Monty shrugged. "Maybe it's a shortcut."

Tricia scoffed. "A shortcut to where? Orkney?"

"Did you see the group of people standing around the entrance when we left?" Kyla inquired curiously.

"Yes! The hot bartender from Hogsmeade was there," Tricia exclaimed. "I didn't really look at the others."

Trevor frowned at Kyla. "I didn't see them. They weren't students?"

"No. They were right on the edge of the crowd," she replied, "kind of hard to see."

"You think they have something to do with the train going up this high?" Tricia asked with an anxious glance toward the window. "If they do, I don't like them very much… Except for Cullen, I still like him."

For a second, she and Kyla grinned knowingly at each other.

"What was up with Headmistress McGo –"

The compartment door slid open and cut Trevor off in mid-sentence. A black-haired girl who looked like a seventh year leaned in to look at them all. When she saw Trevor, her face brightened immediately.

"I thought that was your voice!" she proclaimed, pointing a finger at his shocked face.

"Syd?"

"Who?" Tricia demanded rather harshly as she suspiciously eyed the pretty, older girl.

Trevor ignored her and stood up immediately. "I knew something was wrong. What are you doing here?"

Sydney frowned unhappily. "It sucks that you automatically assume the worst when you see me."

"Why else would you be on the Express?"

"Okay, it's not really a good sign that I'm here," she admitted, "and that's kind of what we want to talk to you about. Why don't you introduce me, you rude boy?"

"Er – this is Sydney Ingram, everyone," Trevor said awkwardly. "Syd, this is Tricia, Kyla, and Monty."

"Great! Just who I was looking for," Sydney chirped. "Sorry I couldn't meet you under more pleasant circumstances. I need you all to come with me, please."

The four Hufflepuffs followed the Blood Traitor down the halls of several cars while she told them how long she had been looking for them. "I swear I walked up and down this train three times over before I heard you talking. It took me forever," she said as they reached the last car. "Here we are."

She opened the door to one of the farthest compartments. Inside were three men, one of which was Kyla's father, and another, Tricia's cousin.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?" Kyla demanded as she stared wide-eyed at Harry. "I wasn't supposed to see you until we reached Kings Cross."

"Ohmigod! Ferris, I haven't seen you since forever!" Patricia babbled as she immediately tacked the blond man.

"Sit down," said Harry soberly. "We've got something to tell you."

Gus moved over to make room for Kyla, while Sydney plopped down on the floor to give Tricia and Monty a place to sit. Then Harry began to explain their circumstances:

"We're here because we're afraid someone is trying to attack the train," he said, cutting to the chase. "The Order and the Blood Traitors are here to protect the students."

Tricia gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. Both Kyla and Monty went pale. Trevor's face tensed, but he seemed to accept the fact much quicker than the others.

"Is that why Roman was on the train that night?" he asked.

"H-he was what?" Gus stammered.

"That's it! That's what you said on the phone," Sydney cried suddenly. "I couldn't remember…" A look of realization struck her and her mouth fell open. "_Mon dieu_…"

"Where on the train was he?' Harry asked calmly. "Near the engine?"

"No. He was in the back between two cars," Trevor answered. "He said he was looking after things, but he never explained what."

"Could he sabotage the train?" Ferris asked uneasily.

"No, of course not!" Gus insisted.

"Don't put it past him, Schmitt," Harry warned. "We've got to talk to the driver about this."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the train suddenly shuddered. They rocked in their seats and heard screeching wheels that struggled to keep up speed. The Express wasn't putting on the brakes, something was forcing it to slow.

Tricia whimpered and clutched at Ferris. Sydney reached up and grabbed Gus's hand.

They were stopping.

9

Roman stood between Fero, leader of the flying Optime, and a crouching dog mutate with a muzzle for a mouth and pointed ears that stuck out from the sides of his head.

The three men were on the bank of the river, watching as Hogwarts's famous train finally gave up the fight right on the bridge spanning the turbulent waters. Relieved his charm had worked on the huge vehicle, Roman let out the breath he was holding and lowered his wand.

"Nice work finding it," he congratulated his strange comrades. "This couldn't have worked out better."

He suddenly turned toward the mass of trees behind him and saw the huge crowd of Optimates standing amongst the trunks.

He arched an arrogant black eyebrow at them. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked.

There was a symphony of popping noises as the masked villains Disapparated, only to reappear all around the train. Roman had completed a small part of his goals.

He felt like he was going to be sick.


	14. Chapter 13 The Attack

Chapter Thirteen

The Attack

1

Inside Harry's office, Ginny furiously fired spells from behind her husband's desk. The Neo Death Eater just outside the door was refusing to go down easily. He was obviously very good at ducking curses, both magically and physically, but she couldn't get better shots from her position. If she moved out from behind the shelter of the desk, the child in her belly could come to harm.

However, she eyed Agape's desk and wondered if she could surprise the little tosser while still being protected. The only problem was, she wasn't as nimble in this heavy state and making the dash from desk to desk could get her and her baby killed.

A blast of blue light hit her wooden shield so hard it skidded nearly a foot a cross the floor, taking her with it. Ginny retaliated by squirting a huge glob of goo at him from her wand. The mess hit the man with a satisfying SPLAT and he bloke made a disgusted noise.

Ginny used his distraction as an opportunity to scuttle over to the second desk without him noticing.

Thanks to the goo making his shoes smack against the floor, she could hear the man as he started moving closer. He muttered a few fowl words under his breath and paused behind one of the chairs in front of Harry's desk.

The redhead made an irritated face. Now the idiot had gone back out of her range. However, he thought she was in the same spot, so she still had the upper hand.

Thinking quickly, Ginny suddenly got up on her knees and pushed the mountainous pile of papers on the second desk on top of the masked man's head.

Seeing only a flapping, rustling mass of paper coming at him, the yelled furiously and waved his arms to beat them away, while Ginny, in the mean time, stood straight up and shouted, "_Stupefy_!"

The man went still at last, and Ginny bolted from the office. But outside the door she froze.

The Auror headquarters was teeming with bodies and alight with flashes of magic. She could barely see a path for all the people fighting. Everywhere she looked was another black mask.

"How did they all get in?" she breathed.

Normally, she would have thought a bunch of Neo Death Eaters bursting into a room full of highly trained professional crime fighters would be a suicide mission. However, in these kinds of numbers, they were holding up pretty well.

A ricochet curse flew by her face and she immediately put a shield up to protect herself. She needed to decide exactly where she was going before charging between the dangerous duels going on around her. She no doubt would have to participate in one of her own before long, so she wanted to get as close as she could to an exit prior to then.

"Ginny!" cried a familiar voice from her left.

She turned to see Tonks struggling with a wild-eyed female Optimates, who had apparently lost her wand and was trying to bit her opponent.

"Merlin's beard, what are you doing here?" Tonks demanded. "It's too dangerous! You're bloody seven months pregnant!"

"Oh, really? I had no idea," Ginny retorted, having to shout to be heard.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw another jet of light coming her way. She quickly readjusted her magic shield and the spell bounced away harmlessly. Tonks stunned the crazy Neo and chained her up.

"I was looking for Harry," Ginny explained, moving her barrier to include Tonks as the talked. "Then all these blighters showed up and now I can't get out."

"I don't know if there is a way out anymore," Tonks replied. "Kingsley told me to go help Harry and the others ages ago, but I haven't been able to get past this lot." She gestured angrily at all duelers.

Ginny grabbed Tonk's sleeve. "Where's Harry? What's happened? Agape said there was a crisis."

"She was right. The Order and the Blood Traitors have gone to fend off an assault on the Hogwarts Express. That's why the Neos have attacked the Ministry – to hold off the Aurors."

A Neo lunged for them and Tonks blew him halfway across the room into an Auror. She and Ginny winced at the sight of the collision, but they didn't have time to stand around.

"We've got to get you out," Tonks said firmly. "And if not, we'll hide you."

"I'm not going to hide, Tonks!"

"Well, it's either that or get yourself and you baby killed!"

Ginny bristled at this. "I can handle myself well enough not to get killed. I've been doing this since I was fourteen."

"We'll I've been doing this since you were fourteen too, and I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Fine then, where do we go?"

There was an earsplitting BOOM that made everyone flee from the far side of the room.

"That'll be Cordingly over by Investigations," Tonks said dryly. "For once his paranoia is useful."

"They're going to destroy the place," Ginny exclaimed.

"Ginny! Tonks!"

The two women whirled around to find Agape coming up behind them – and with her, her entire class of twenty Aurors in training.

"I got every trainee except Quinlan," the tall woman beamed. "He's with the Order."

Tonks grabbed her in an embrace. "Thank you."

Agape looked taken aback for a moment, surprised she'd finally done something right. Then she had to fire a flash of crimson at an Optimus aiming his wand at Tonk's back and the fight took precedence again.

"Alright, students," Tonks cried as she fended off another Neo. "Keep Ginny there as safe as possible and try to find a way out."

A screaming young man ran toward them at that point, chased by three Optimates. "Help! Help! Help!"

Several of the Auror students dropped his pursuers in mid-stride and he came crashing into Agape's arms.

"What the… _Remy_?" she cried.

"Save me, please!" he begged her. "I don't even work here and they want to kill me."

"Keep him safe too," Tonks added to the students. "Let's move!"

2

Everyone in the compartment looked up as a series of bangs on the train roof announced the arrival of the Neos.

"Kyla, stay here," Harry commanded. "All of you kids have to stay in this compartment until its safe enough to get off the train. Take others with you if you can, but just get off!"

Kyla nodded, her eyes huge. Then she grabbed Tricia's hand they huddled together next to Monty.

"I want to help too," Trevor spoke up as they moved to leave. "I can, you know."

"Stay with your friends," Gus told him. "Help them."

They left the compartment and gathered at the back door, joined by the rest of the Blood Traitors from the neighboring space.

Alton, holding onto Payton's hand, turned a worried expression toward her. "Stay with the kids," he said. "They'll need help escaping."

She agreed and watched him and the others leave before going to the children.

Harry led the way up the built-in ladder on the outside of the car. Once on the roof, he had to dodge several jets of sparks right away.

He used a banishing charm to knock all of the Neos off their feet – and one off the train completely.

"Don't let them into the cars!" the Auror shouted to his comrades.

It was easier said than done, however. The Order also flooded out of the train near the front and picked up the fight from that end, but there were so many Optimates it was overwhelming. What was worse, half of them were Dante's mutated army using themselves as a first defense to prevent the normal witches and wizards from being caught.

The woman with the metal shield in her skin had apparently recovered from being welded to the door in Morrigan's dungeon, because she was now on the scene. Upon spotting Harry, her face contorted with murderous rage – it was obvious she remembered him.

"You foul PIG!" she shrieked, diving at him with metal fists ready to pound his face in.

He shot her from the air as she jumped and she went crashing back to the roof with a heavy clang. Harry easily leapt over the furious woman and headed for the next car, where several Optimates had already started climbing down to get inside.

"ARRGH!" he heard the woman scream behind him.

Harry paused and turned back in case she attacked again, but found her suddenly distracted by Alton.

"Hi, Enyo," yelled the masked man as he kicked her in her metal chest. But she hardly moved – her weight secured her to the train.

"Watch yourself, Drake," she bit back. "Better not use your kung-fu crap up here. I'd hate to see you _fall_!" She shot a curse at him, and he and every person behind him had to duck flat against the roof to avoid being hit.

"You are by far the most annoying out of all of them," Alton sneered, unphased. As he jumped to his feet, he ripped his mask down and blew a ball of flames at her from his mouth.

The woman yelped and held up metallic arms to protect her head. The fire was by no means hot enough to melt her shield, but it did scare her long enough to give Alton the chance to charge at her. He sprang into the air and kicked her in the side with his foot.

With another surprised scream, she toppled off the roof and slammed into the bridge below. The ledges where only about a meter wide on either side of the hefty Express, so she ended up hanging half off the edge, her legs dangling over the turbulent river.

He watched to see if he would need to follow her down to finish her off as his friends ran past him to fight off others. To his dismay, someone appeared beside Enyo to pull her back to safety. It was the golden-haired man from Betwys-y-Coed who had trapped them with a circle of fire.

Alton made noise of frustration and hurried to climb back down the train so he could get to them. However, as soon as he was on the ladder, he was slammed into the back of the train by an explosion of flames at the end of the bridge. He could feel the holes melting through his shirt under the intense heat. Thankful he was fireproof, Alton gaped at the blaze. It was an inferno that seemingly raged without much assistance from kindling to feed off of.

He realized it was Marduk blocking their way back. Now they could only go toward the bank the Neos had come from if they wanted to leave the Express.

Meanwhile up top, the Order and BT were trying to get past the Millitis Optime. Imogene and Yvette had caught hold of a flying man and were shredding his wings with their claws. Not far away, Ron and Hermione Weasley were back to back as they shot at the other flying snipers still in the sky. Harry was on the next car, trying to get past a venomous spitting woman. Near them, Logan had been pinned down by the dog mutate and was struggling to reach his dropped wand. A shockwave washed over the first car as McGonagall mowed down a number of Optimates with a single spell. Tundra Lupin levitated two women over her head and smacked their heads together with a sickening thump.

Gus was able to make a shark-mouthed person bite into the metal roof, leaving them momentarily stuck. He clambered down a ladder into the junction between two cars and charged into an open door where he heard young voices screaming.

His eyes had to readjust to the dimmer light after being blinded by the gleaming metal roof for so long. He thought the small, vertical blue and orange circles floating around him were just a strange trick of his vision, but then he realized they were hovering above the heads of nearly every student in sight. Four boys brushed by him to get out of the car and the glowing blue circles stayed fixed above their heads as they ran.

Three masked men and a woman were showering an unfamiliar spell over the kids, making the little circles appear over heads that didn't yet have one.

"Get the Mudbloods!" the woman yelled.

They all seized a child, each one with an orange circle, and Gus shouted at them to freeze. "Let them go, now!" he barked furiously. The Optimates hesitated.

Though Gus had never seen the spell before, he knew what the circles meant now. They were markers to indicate a person's blood status – blue for pure, orange for impure.

"Unhand the students NOW!" he snarled. He'd never been so angry in his life.

But the Neos didn't give him a chance to fire; they all Disapparated, taking the kids with them. The others left in the car saw their chance and rushed toward the door, desperate to get out. Gus let them go, knowing he couldn't stop them if he tried.

"Hide!" he cried after them. "Be careful!"

He was startled by Quin Lupin jumping down from the roof and landing in front of him. "Schmitt!" he said, recognizing the tall Ministry worker. "What do those circles mean?"

"It separates the pure ones from the non-pure ones," he answered angrily. "The slime-balls are only taking the ones who don't come from wizarding families."

Quin's eyes went wide and he immediately got off the car connection to run after the kids. "We have to tell the others," he called over his shoulder as he ran. Gus watched as the young man shot away a couple of Neos, who tried to block the student's path. Lenore Apparated beside him and helped him fend off three more.

Then Gus scowled through the window of the next car and saw more circles appearing within. His wand and latent temper ready, he charged inside.

3

Just inside the forest and very close to the river bank where Roman still stood, the Optimates had placed a large, growing, translucent mass on the ground. This seemingly gelatinous blob was one of the most genius parts of Roman's plans. It was what allowed them to attack a target like the Express in the middle of nowhere. The bubble of magic was easily concealed in a small bag before use, simple to activate (just add space and a bunch of people to it), kept it's prisoners calm with a spell, and, despite how much it weighed later, was a snap to transport so long as someone carried a portkey along for the trip.

This yet unnamed blob could hold as many mudbloods as they could catch and would take them away in a second. It was a black market item, of course – a very useful tool that would be a dream for Ministry law enforcement, but fetched a better price as a terrorist weapon and was sold as such.

Roman watched for a moment as the first few Optimates came back with their captives. They Apparated nearby and flung the wailing, kicking kids at the blob, which enclosed around them and stretched to accommodate each added tenant. Once inside, the spell made the children relax and their faces melted into vacancy.

Malleus was one of the few to come back right away, and he dragged a screaming eleven-year-old along the ground by his robes before shoving him into the clear bubble. Once inside the terrified boy stopped thrashing and sat calmly with a blank expression.

"You were right, Rome," Malleus said, casually coming up to his friend as if he hadn't just participated in kidnapping. "There's a load of people trying to fight us off the train. Sucks to be them, right? Hey, guess what I just heard – the winged fellow guarding my back said my dad was coming soon."

"I know," Roman said, watching as an Optimus woman with a bleeding arm tossed an unconscious student into the growing magical glob. That made ten inside so far.

"You know?"

"I asked him to come see his plans unfold," Roman told him, still not looking at him.

Malleus clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Brilliant! He'll love this. Well, I'm about to go back – you coming this time?"

Roman nodded and they both Disapparated.

4

Trevor peered cautiously out of the compartment door when they heard the Optimates arrive inside their car.

"They're taking kids," he told them tensely. "They just Disapparated with Aaron Sparks and Emma Pearson, but they didn't seem to want Renatus Whisp. They're not taking any of the Slytherins actually."

Payton grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back inside, quietly closing the compartment door.

"They're only taking the Muggle-borns," Patricia whispered in terror.

"Emma isn't Muggle-born," Kyla pointed out.

"But her grandparents are Muggles," Tricia retorted franticly. "Oh God, I'm done for!"

Payton shushed them all. She pressed her ear to the door and heard heavy footsteps quickly approaching. She waved at them all to hide and the kids scrambled around in the small space.

Outside, the Neo searching the last few compartments for stragglers finally reached theirs. He saw a form inside and roughly tore open the door to find a single, very round boy with dark hair standing inside. The Optimus raised an eyebrow at the trembling kid and dusted him with the spell that would show whether or not he was pure.

A small blue circle glowed above his head.

Satisfied, the menacing man started to leave but noticed something orange reflected in the narrow window to the left of the compartment door. He suddenly spun around and pushed the fat boy to the floor. Taking the Otpimus by surprise, another boy suddenly launched himself upright from behind the first kid and slashed at his face with razor sharp fingers.

Trevor, now with his own orange badge above his head, landed on top of the man and stunned him with his own wand.

"C'mon," he said to his friends as he righted himself.

Kyla and Tricia crawled out from under the two seats and Payton dislodged herself from the overhead luggage slot. Monty got up from the floor and eyed the Neo's bloody face.

Putting his fingers back to normal, Trevor clapped his big friend on the shoulder. "That was and awesome idea, mate," he said.

"I thought I was going to pass out," Monty admitted, still shaking.

Tricia wrapped her arms around the tall boy's neck and hung there, her feet suspended several inches from the floor for a moment. "That was so brave Monty. You're my hero." She let go and then seized Trevor. "You too, Trevor."

She wasn't letting go of Trevor, and the poor boy looked rather awkward. He peered at Kyla for help.

"Okay, we have to move out of the open," Kyla said, patting Trish on the back.

The blond girl finally let go and they followed Payton down the car.

"Why aren't we going out of the back?" Kyla asked.

Payton paused at the front of the car to peer out of the window to check for Optimates. She made a hand sign to Trevor, who told Kyla it meant fire.

"Fire?" frowned the girl. She looked back toward the back door found that indeed there were flickering flames outside. "Oh.."

Payton took them outside and they started slinking around the sides of the train along the narrow bridge. Tears started running down Tricia's face when she saw how far above the water they were. She squeezed Kyla's hand painfully tight.

They were suddenly surprised by an Optimus leaping in front of them from one of the car links. She looked equally shocked to see them sneaking about, but she had a wand and Payton didn't. Tricia screamed as the woman fired a jinx at them and they all ducked.

Payton grabbed a handful of the dirt on the bridge and flung it into the Neo's eyes before Kyla knocked her hard against the train wall with a charm. The mute woman grabbed at the kids and forced each one to quickly go by the blind and dazed Neo. She signed to Trevor to keep going and she would be right behind them. He nodded and took the lead.

"Ohgodohgodohgod!" wept Tricia while Kyla tugged her along.

Payton was just about to follow them, when her head was jerked backward without warning. The Optimus woman had a handful of her hair and was pushing her toward the edge of the bridge. Payton struggled to fight her off, but soon the woman grew frustrated and finally kicked her hard on the hip.

Payton lost her balance and fell over and over until violent waters engulfed her.

5

Jett had carried Jules into the Minstry in her pocket as a snake. The animagus had slithered out of her robes in the lift and morphed into human form when she saw her friend being picked on. Now the two women had met up again in the battle. They halfheartedly put on a show of dueling with each other as they concentrated on making their way to a certain hallway.

They passed a large group of young men and women chaining up Optimates left and right. Jules noticed Agape and Ginny Potter fighting among them, with the Auror Tonks in the lead. She hoped they would turn the tides enough to over power the intruders.

Nearby, Gus's boss, Garry Moore shouted irately as he physically pounced on his opponent and they started shooting curses at each other on the floor. Jules and Jett had to jump away from each other to keep from being tangled up in the men's flailing arms and legs.

They reached the right hall at last, and as soon as they were mostly out of sight, they stopped dueling to swiftly walk by the many offices in search of a certain name plastered on one of the doors.

They stopped in front of a Mr. Adam Huxley's office.

Huxley was one of only two authorities in charge of judging whether or not law enforcement should be involved in serious situations outside of the Ministry jurisdiction. Situations like keeping students at Hogwarts for another day until a proper investigation of the threat of an Optimates attack could take place.

Mr. Donovan Hellewege was the second judge, but they would deal with him shortly.

Most of what these two men did everyday was put their signatures at the bottom of a form. However, they had obviously refused to sign Kingsley's request to send Aurors to Hogwarts. It was a decision they would soon regret making.

Jules and Jett blasted Mr. Huxley's door wide open and went inside. After looking around for a moment they found him hiding under his desk. He spotted Jett's masked face first and panicked, shooting a poorly aimed stunning charm.

Jett twitched her wand once and his weapon zipped out of his grasp. Jules jumped onto his desk top and leaned over to peer at him. She not amused by his show of cowardice.

"Why aren't you out there helping the others?" she inquired flatly.

"Or more precisely, why aren't you assisting your Death Eater friends?" Jett said.

He looked back and forth between them, unsure of what was going on. "I'm not trained in combat," he offered, then immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"So, you are with the Neos, but instead of fighting alongside them, you hinder the Ministry with parchment and quill," Jules concluded.

"I… No, I… What do you want?" he demanded at last.

"Just for you to be recognized for your work, Huxley," Jett answered with a twinge of disgust in her voice.

"I just work for the Ministry –"

Jett cut him off. "You don't remember me, of course," she said, "but I brought you the message from Morrigan, warning you not to give the Aurors permission to protect Hogwarts if they came to you. I'm quite positive you don't _just work for the Ministry_."

His eyes widened. "B-but aren't you a Neo?" he asked, trembling.

"Good question. You're not as asinine as you look," Jett replied.

Jules stupefied him in the next moment and Jett used her wand to burn OPTIMUS into his forehead.

"You know, he _is_ a scum bag," Jules said, looking at Jett's handiwork, "you didn't have to use such nice penmanship."

Jett rolled her amber eyes. "Well, you can write it as crappy as you want on Hellewege's face," she said, turning to leave.

Jules got off of Huxley's desk and they left in search of Donovan Hellewege's door.

6

Payton struggled to stay afloat in the river's split-rib current and swam desperately for the bank. She had it in her sight at one moment, only to be turned around by the waters and end up looking back at the bridge. Then her back hit something very solid and pain shot up her spine.

It was a large rock smoothed by the river and she had to cling to it with all her strength. Slowly, she was able to pull herself mostly out of the water and sit on the cool surface, gasping huge breaths into her lungs. She looked toward the train on the bridge and saw the battle ensuing there. The blaze still roared behind the caboose, blocking off any escape rout.

She wasn't doing much good sitting there on a rock, so she looked about for a way back to land. Luckily, she wasn't far from the bank the Optimates had come from – the problem was staying that way once she was back in the water. Then she noticed a large tree nearby, whose branches fanned out toward her, but remained just beyond her reach. If she could jump and grab hold of the branches, she could use it as an anchor against the current.

Payton attempted to move into a crouch on the rock, but her sneakers slipped on the slick surface. She barely managed to hang on and not fall in prematurely. Taking a breath, she tried again and was able to stay upright. Adrenaline surging through her as she judged the distance, the woman sprang off of her island and seized the closest branch, bending it downward as gravity reclaimed her and she hit the water again.

Waves splashed over her head, but she used the limb to pull herself up. Her legs paddled with everything she had as her hands moved over the rough bark, hauling her closer and closer to the bank. The smaller twigs snapped under her palms as she held on, but she was able to gradually crawl up to the stronger wood and set her feet in shallower waters. Nearly exhausted, she waded to the bank and had to sit down for a moment.

She was just about to get back up when she heard voices not far from her. Then she heard a child screaming.

Payton immediately sprang into action, stooping low to the ground as she moved toward the noise. She hadn't gone far when she saw the Optimates towing several students into the forest. She had to dive into a bush to keep from being discovered.

Her mouth dropped open when the Neos shoved the kids into a monstrously large bubble-like prison.

As soon as the Optimates left, she cautiously moved closer. She was horrified to see that the children inside the blob looked drugged or stunned. Staying hidden behind a tree trunk, she was able to get within arms reach of the translucent mass.

She realized a bit too late that it was unwise to touch the blob; she stuck her hand inside to try reaching for a student, but ended up almost sucked in as well. It took a great deal of tugging on the tree beside her to free her arm, and it was covered in sticky slime even then.

Payton heard the popping noises of returning Optimates and, knew she had run while she could so she could get someone with a wand to help the captives. As quietly as she could, she moved behind the magic glob and crouched through the forest. Once she could no longer hear the voices of the Neos, she broke into a full run until she reached the bridge.

Once there, she darted by Fred and George wrestling kids marked by orange circles away from two Neos. Pausing for a second, she managed to kick one of the Optimates very hard in the back of the knee and he fell backwards with a yelp. Fred seized the man's young captive and stunned him, causing a big enough distraction for George to do the same to the second fellow.

"Thanks!" they called after her in unison.

She didn't slow down again, bolting along the narrow space of the bridge that wasn't taken up by the train's bulk. Most of the fighting was still inside the cars, and she searched the windows as she passed, hoping to find one of her friends.

Suddenly she slid to a stop as she heard someone calling her name.

"Payton! Thank god," Alton shouted from a window just ahead of her. He disappeared back into the train in the next second and they both ran to meet each other at the car junction. He leapt down and seized her in the tightest hug he'd ever given her as the battle raged on around them.

"When I couldn't find you with the kids I didn't know what to do," he said into her hear.

Relief to see him swept over her as well and she kissed the side of his face repeatedly before finally pulling back.

'_I fell in the river_,' she signed.

"Holy crap!"

'_It's okay. Listen, I saw where they're taking the kids_.'

Alton's eyes went wide as galleons and followed her pointing finger over toward the East bank.

'_They're right inside the trees in a big bubble prison.' _She showed him her goo covered arm. _'We have to get them out_.'

Hope lit his face and he smiled hugely at her. "They're so close…Brilliant! Let's tell Sydney and Ferris." Catching her slimy hand he led her into the car he had just come from.

It was packed full of students of all different ages, most of which had glowing orange marks over their heads. They all looked terrified and huddled close together. Payton was glad to see Trevor and his three friends there as well, though it was a bit disconcerting to see the young boy covered in blood. Ferris and Sydney were near the front of the car, obviously helping Alton guard all the students. They both looked rather beaten up, but not down trodden.

Sydney gasped when she saw Payton, "You're all wet! Did you fall in?" When Payton nodded, she gasped again. "How did you get out?" she asked, amazed.

Payton shrugged incredulously, not knowing how she had ended up so lucky.

"She found the captured students when she did," Alton told them in a raspy voice.

Several of the children perked up at this, hoping to hear what had happened to their friends.

"Really?" Ferris said eagerly. "Can we get to them?"

Payton nodded, but started as a loud thud sounded over their heads. Something, or rather someone had just hit the roof.

"That must be Harry," Alton said brightly. "He was the closest last I checked. He and the others are keeping the Neos busy on either side of us so they don't find all the kids we're hiding. We've been fighting off the few that get past." He coughed a few times, clearing the soot from his throat, and sounded less raspy when he spoke again. "I think we should get everyone out of here before it's too late. I'll tell Harry to guard us."

He started to move toward the door again, but Ferris shouted, "Wait! There's too many. How are we supposed to leave without becoming a bigger target than we already are?"

"Hey!" cried a first-year boy sitting in the middle of the car.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I'm sitting on a little door," he told them, pointing to the floor. "Does that help?"

There was a short pause from everyone, and then Kyla said, "Well, open it and find out."

The boy stood and the people around him squashed closer to each other to give him room to straddle the small door and tug it open by an embedded handle.

"I see the ground!" a girl proclaimed, looking down the hole.

"It's a way out!" cried another.

The first year beamed at the adults, delighted with his discovery.

Alton and Ferris exchanged looks across the car.

"Go tell Harry we're escaping under the train," Ferris said. "We'll go toward the front, since the back is blocked by fire. We can go into the forest and hide there."

"Right," said Alton. "Then we'll need to get the Neos away from the front. I'm gone!"

He kissed Payton once, made the hand sign for 'I love you,' and ducked through the door, vanishing up the ladder to the roof.

"Okay, everyone," Ferris said, and the students all looked at him. "You have to be absolutely quiet. Stay between the track rails and keep crawling forward. If one of us gets caught, all of us get caught, understand?"

They all nodded silently, some looking ready to go, others were horrified.

"Trevor, you go first and lead the way," Ferris told the rust-haired boy. "Sydney, you and Payton will be somewhere in the middle. I'll guard us from behind. Let's go – quietly."

Trevor easily slipped down into the hole and started crawling eastward beneath the undercarriage. His classmates followed him without question. Some of the older, larger students had a harder time fitting through the small trap door, but even Monty manage to shove himself down. Ferris counted as each head before they disappeared, stopping them once the number reached fifteen. He sent Syd down and let seven more kids go, then Payton, the last eleven kids (including his cousin), then he followed, pulling the door closed to leave no evidence of their departure. He'd counted thirty-four children in all, and prayed this would work.

7

Alton hoisted himself back onto the roof and found Harry quite nearby, but he didn't expect to see the person he was facing off with.

Standing one car away from the Auror was the tall attractive form of Roman. One of his hands held the collar of a teenage girl's shirt; the other pointed a wand at her temple. He'd removed his mask and had obviously just stopped in the middle of capturing the girl to converse with Harry.

The seventeen-year-old beside him was on her knees and looked torn between fear and anger. She was such a carrot-top her hair nearly matched the orange color of the circle hanging over her head. Black horn rimmed glasses perched precariously at the tip of her nose, threatening to fall.

Alton could hear their conversation as he came up behind Harry.

"You are one arrogant bugger," Harry was saying, his wand trained in turn on the Italian.

Roman's expression was stony and impenitent as his gaze shifted to the approaching Blood Traitor. Alton stared back at him, disgusted.

Harry continued. "Looks like you've chosen the wrong side, Luciano."

"That's what it looks like."

"You really want to hurt a bunch of kids?" Alton snarled. "Are you the big _man_ who worked this whole attack out? Kid of easy targets, don't you think?"

"I didn't choose the targets," Roman reminded him calmly.

"But you sure don't mind terrifying all of them," Alt retorted.

"Let her go, Luciano," Harry said with a warning tone. "I've never liked you enough not to drop you where you stand."

Roman's expression never changed. "Good to know there's no love lost."

"You might as well do as he says, Roman. It doesn't matter anymore," Alton proclaimed, a triumphant gleam in his eye. "Payton found your little hide out in the woods. She said you're putting kids in a bubble on the east bank."

Harry looked at him quickly, then over at the mentioned area.

"Does that make you angry, you tosser?" Alton went on. "That a mute Muggle could ruin your plans so badly? All we have to do is go over there and kick you asses on the bank instead of right here."

But the thing was, Roman didn't look angry or even slightly irritated. His face held no emotion at all and his eyes were dark. Alton wondered if this was his friend being a bad person, being the villain. Was this what it took to be an Optimus? Become a blank slate?

"You sure did make them easy to find," Harry commented, still squinting toward the east bank.

"Lucky for you, isn't it?" Roman replied.

The arrival of another Neo caught everyone's attention. "Need some assistance, Julius?" asked Marduk.

Alton's eyes narrowed at the softly glowing phoenix mutate.

"Not really," Roman replied to the question. "But it looks as though Drake is ready for a fight. Perhaps you can formally introduce yourself at last."

In his own conservative way, Marduk looked as though he'd rather chew glass than do anything Roman said. However, he obeyed and suddenly appeared behind Alton.

The smaller man whirled to face him, thinking he would be struck from behind, but apparently Marduk was not that kind of fighter. He actually bowed his golden head to his opponent before ever lifting his wand.

Alton stared at him as if he were crazy.

"Can you handle him by yourself?" Harry said quietly, his eyes focused back on Roman.

"Of course!" Alton snapped.

"Good. I'm going to get the girl away from Luciano, then go to help the trapped kids."

"A bunch of the ones we saved are under the train right now," Alton whispered back. "They'll need help too."

Growing impatient, Marduk called to him: "Are you not ready yet, Drake?"

"I'm just thinking I've never actually dueled with a lefty before," the Blood Traitor covered, gesturing to the hand Marduk was holding his wand with.

"I'd assume the spells come out the same," said the younger man dryly. "I can switch if you'd like."

"Ah, stuff it! Let's go!"

The two started fighting, and Harry Apparated behind Roman. The Neo whirled around quickly, anticipating the move, but the girl he held hostage had had enough.

"_Get away from me_!" she cried, getting hold of Roman's wand hand and biting into it with all her might.

"Aaagh!" Roman snarled, shoving her away and holding his bloody hand.

The girl gasped and tried to cling to the slick roof as she slid off the side.

Harry charged Roman and he immediately Disapparated, stopping the Auror in mid stride with no target to aim at. Then Harry noticed the seventh-year was barely holding on and he dove instead to catch her slipping fingers.

She looked frightened at first, but once he pulled her back to safety, she picked herself up and straightened her glasses, breathing a little easier.

"Thanks," she said. "It would be hard to swim if I broke my leg falling off this bloody train."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked automatically.

"Fine now, thanks to you. I'm Antonia, by the way – recently graduated and willing to help if you need it."

A blast of flames on the next roof distracted them. Alton and Marduk had resorted to their fire powers relatively quickly. Smoke billowed from Alton's mouth as he shouted insults and obscenities. Marduk looked irritated, but stayed calm as he hurled fireballs from his hands. The only problem with them using their powers, was that they were both fireproof as well. It was a pretty even match, even though Marduk had more tricks.

Harry frowned at them, and then turned back to Antonia. "Do you have your wand?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Can you help some of the other kids? I seem to have run out of allies who aren't trying not to die."

"Absolutely," she said with a resolute nod.

They hurried down the nearest ladder and started running toward the front of the train. They hadn't gotten far before another explosion startled them into looking back. The flames mushroomed upward from the train roof and the cloud of smoke produced blocked the afternoon sun for a moment, but their eyes were fixed on the person who flew through the air far past the bridge and plummeted into the river below.

Harry's blood went cold. He looked over the edge of the bridge to try and see who it was, but no one came back to the surface. Then he jerked his head back to the roof, and sure enough, someone came to the edge and peered down at the water. Harry sighed in relief when he saw Alton's form and shaggy blood-red hair emerging from the smoke instead of the Optimus.

8

"This is marvelous," Odin breathed, standing on the short roof of the steam engine and gazing around at the chaos all around. "Just marvelous."

"You should have seen the Ministry," said Nolan Quentin beside him. The vampire fiddled absentmindedly with the pendant around his neck, which held the same type of stones Ima and Yvette wore on their fingers to protect him from the sunlight. "The Aurors didn't know what hit them. It was easy for me to get out with all of them distracted."

"You have no idea how happy hearing of their incompetence makes me," Odin replied smugly. He took another glance at the duelers and screaming children below before turning his head a fraction toward Quentin. "Go have fun. You've earned it."

Nolan grinned wickedly and jumped off the train to do just that.

Odin spotted two pairs of eyes on him from a few cars away. He smiled and waved at the Lupin couple. They held their wands up and moved his direction, so he leapt from the engine to the first car to meet them halfway.

"Remus, Tundra," he said, holding his arms open as if greeting old friends. "I haven't seen you face to face in years. How are the pups?"

Odin began to laugh as they fired at him simultaneously, and the dangerous duel was started.

9

"What do we do, Vaughn?" hissed the girl behind Trevor as they lay on their bellies beneath the Express. "We can't stay under here without someone finding us."

"I know," Trevor whispered back. "But I don't know which way is less dangerous. They're fighting everywhere on both sides of the engine."

"Hey, why did we stop?" a young voice demanded from further back. "I don't want to die under here! Please go!"

"Hold on," Trevor told them.

"I'm scared!" insisted the second kid.

"Shut up, Marius!" said a third student. "They don't even want you – you're a pure blood!"

Out of nowhere, Trevor saw a pair of legs speed by on the right side.

"Hey! You buggers with the masks!" shouted Ferris's voice.

Trevor moved closer to the edge of the undercarriage to see better. Several Optimates turned to look at him, as did some of the Order members fighting with them.

"You want a Mudblood?" Ferris called, holding up his wand in a blatant challenge. "How 'bout the son of a Muggle who fought against Voldemort?"

He'd succeeded in catching their attention.

Trevor bit his lip nervously as he watched four Neos aim their wands at his friend. He and most of the other kids flinched when they fired four spells at once. Ferris was ready for the spells, but he was knocked to the ground by the force of them hitting his hastily conjured barrier. He sprang back up as the four Optimates advanced on him.

"A Mudblood who's better than you no less," Ferris spat at them as he backed up.

He was leading them away from the engine so they wouldn't see the kids escaping toward the forest. The only masked people left were too busy dueling to do anything. Trevor slid out from under the train and glanced back at Ferris still blocking the Neos' attacks.

"Hurry," he hissed to the kids behind him. "Get out and run as fast as you can to the trees."

They all started emerging and ran desperately to the woods, their only chance of escape. Trevor helped some of them pull themselves upright and kept an eye on the duelers. The first few students made it past them without being noticed, but now the Neos could see what was happening and it was all the Order could do to hold them back. One man slashed Charlie Weasley with a bright purple spell that made him hit the ground face first. The Optimus started aiming similar spells at the children running past, who screamed and ducked to avoid being hit. One of them used a bat bogey charm to blind him and Trevor took the opportunity to strike.

He charged then, twisting around until his hands hit the ground, used his momentum to kick the man in the gut with both feet. The Neo flew backwards and hit the ground with impressive force. Then Trevor was on top of him, holding five knifelike fingers to his throat.

"Keep going!" he yelled at his classmates.

The Neo tried to pull his wand on the boy pinning him down, but Trevor sliced it into five pieces with his other hand.

Sydney and Payton slithered out from under the train and split up, Syndey going to help Trevor and the Order hold of the Optimates, while Payton kept the students moving in the right direction.

Ferris, on the other hand, was on his own and loosing ground.

"Feeling suicidal today, Mudblood?" asked one of the four men moving ever closer. "'Cause we're gonna blow you into little pieces."

Ferris shrugged. "At least when they collect the bits, they'll only find ten fingers instead of twelve. Tell me, what's it like to call your father 'Uncle Dad'?"

The curse the Neo shot at him then could not be blocked and Ferris was slammed into the ground, an enormous gash slanting across his chest.

Gasping in pain, he tried to retaliate, but didn't have to. A burst of light suddenly flashed in front of one of the Optimus's face and he reeled backward screaming, "My eyes! I can't see!"

Another spell shot from somewhere and knocked out a second Neo. Ferris looked wildly around from the ground as the last two masked men aimed up toward the roof. They never got a chance to curse the snipers as Ferris's saviors appeared behind them and stupefied them both. As their bodies slumped to the ground – taking the blinded man with them – Harry and Antonia were revealed.

The Auror stepped over the four men and helped Ferris to his feet.

"Well, isn't it a small wizarding world?" Antonia said. "Who would've thought, sweet, smart Thorpe would be a vigilante."

Ferris smiled slightly. "Don't tell anyone."

"Come on," said Harry, "we have to help the kids."

It hurt to run, but Ferris managed to keep up. Antonia helped the last few children out from under the train while Harry put up a massive block to guard them from the remaining Optimates. Ferris found Tricia and grabbed her hand as they bolted for the trees.

However, the leader of the flying mutates was still loose and Ferris could see his shadow looming on the ground long before the man landed, blocking their path. Tricia screamed hysterically and Ferris stepped in front of her. He was easily knocked to the side by one of the monstrous wings and the Optime seized Tricia's throat in one hand.

"NO!" Ferris yelled, but he couldn't get up in time.

Fero shot a curse right between Tricia's eyes and she went limp.

Trevor was suddenly there, claws out, but Fero slammed his fist into the boy's face, sending him spinning away.

Ferris grabbed Tricia and hoisted her into his arms, trying to make a dash into the forest. The winged man saw this and turned to go after them when two pops sounded and two men cut him off.

Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom sprayed lengths of chain at Fero, wrapping him up from head to toe.

"Go on!" Ron told the last few kids.

Harry and Sydney guarded the students as they ran past. "Thanks, mates," the Auror said to his friends. "Meet us on the East bank." Then he disappeared into the shade of the trees.

(_I chose a real original title this time, right? Excuse rough sentences and bad grammar - I'm not going to edit the last chapters for lack of time.)_


	15. Chapter 14 Unforgivable

Chapter Fourteen

Unforgivable

1

Level two was little more than a ceiling being held up by a few walls. Smoke and dust hung in the air, making it very hard to distinguish friend from enemy. Agape was the only one left who could clearly see in the murky room. The fighting had calmed considerably and the duels had resorted to both parties shooting across the room at each other from behind piles of rubble.

Through the haze, Ginny could just make out two currently clear doorways that could lead her out of the Ministry – if only they weren't behind the Optimates.

"Why hasn't the rest of the Ministry responded yet?" Agape asked Tonks.

The short-haired woman was patching up a deep cut in her palm with her wand. "I'm not exactly sure," she responded, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Since the lift is blocked and Kingsley says we still can't get through the exits, we can't tell what going on in the other levels. They better be doing something – our improvised jail cell can't hold any more of these wankers." She jerked her thumb toward the locked office behind them where Makesh Vemulakonda sat sentry before the door.

"How many, Mak?" Tonks inquired of the man.

"Thirty seven," Mak answered gruffly. "If we get much more, we'll have to sit them on top of each other."

"Wouldn't bother me," muttered Tonks, turning her attention back to the presently free Optimates across the room.

"How long has it been?" Remy asked Agape.

"Four hours," she replied, "but it feels like a lot longer."

"I hope Harry and Kyla are okay," Ginny said as she leaned her exhausted back against the remains of a cubical wall and rested her hands on her large belly. "I'm so worried…"

Agape put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You know Harry would never let anything happen to his baby girl," she said. "Besides, Kyla is a force to be reckoned with all on her own."

Ginny smiled a little at the fitting complement.

"Incoming!" someone suddenly shouted.

The three women and Remy ducked behind the rubble as a barrage of curses zoomed to their right, blasting debris into the air. They all retaliated – even the bookstore clerk – but most of their spells hit little more than the makeshift wall the Neos where hiding behind.

"Kingsley!" Tonks shouted into the row of Aurors to her left. "Are you still there?"

"I'm here," Kinsley's deep voice called back from a distance. "They couldn't hit the broad side of a dragon if it was ten feet in front of them."

"Apparently neither can we," Tonks laughed.

"I will never ever, _ever_ willing set foot in the Ministry again," Remy vowed to anyone who was listening, his voice squeaking slightly. "I just want to see Antonia again."

"I'm sure she's fine," Agape told him. "I have complete confidence in the Order and the Blood Traitors."

"Were you a Hufflepuff?" he inquired.

"Gryffindor," she corrected.

Remy glanced behind him to make sure he was below the fire line. "I was a Slytherin – we focused more on self-preservation than bravery or loyalty."

"I bet you'd be brave for Antonia," Agape grinned, though he probably couldn't see her very well through all the dust.

"Yeah. I'd jump in front of the killing curse for _her_," he confessed.

Overhearing this, Ginny made an awing sound and Agape could see a wistful smile appear on Remy's face.

"Incoming!" the same person shouted.

They all ducked lower as the floor shook beneath them.

2

"Gus… Hey, Gus, wake up."

Augustus slowly opened his eyes and found everything around him blurry. Despite there being a large crack in his left lens, things cleared up when he pushed his glasses back into place.

Logan's tired, cut up face came into view as he crouched over his prostrate comrade. Behind him stood Yvette with her stylish outfit rendered to slash up rags. The Lupin twins watched the nearest door – blood mingled in Quin's hair and Lenore was sitting with one shoed foot and the other wrapped in a red stained bandage.

Gus gingerly sat up and waited for his head to stop spinning. "I g-got stunned… Is-is it over?" he stammered. As his thoughts started clearing, he spoke more rapidly: "Where are the students? Are we too late?"

"No, it's not over," Logan answered grimly. "But we think most of the students have made it to the forest now. Yvette saw Ferris and Sydney taking the last lot not long ago. We're just trying to regroup."

The bespectacled man peered closer at his surroundings and saw Imogene not far behind him, propped up against one of the compartment seats with her eyes closed.

"Is Ima alright?" he asked, concerned by how ashen her face looked.

"She bit a poisonous lizard _salope_," Yvette told him bitterly. "Now she can't even stand on her own. Stupid old woman. I told her I could handle it myself."

The tone in her voice told Gus that Yvette was angrier with herself than Imogene.

"We have to go to where the students are," he said, keeping the objective in mind.

Logan nodded without saying anything.

"The only problem is we don't know where they are exactly," Quin said, turning away from the door. When he faced the others, Gus could see his face was smeared with blood as well. "And we've got a few Optimates on our trail right now."

"They want to keep us separated," Lenore explained. "We're easier to pick off that way."

"Well, they've certainly accomplished that!" Yvette snapped, suddenly digging her nails into the woodwork of a compartment door and ripping a huge chunk out of it. "They've gathered at the front of the train to keep us from fully regrouping."

"Don't worry," Gus said. "We'll find a way."

A rumbled ran through their car and even Imogene looked up expectantly. Lenore leaned closer to the window in the door and grabbed her brother's arm.

"Quin!"

"I see them," he said. "Everyone get down!"

They all dove for the floor and Yvette threw herself over Imogene as a deafening blast resounded throughout the car, shattering all the glass. Quin was the first to get up and fire back though one of the broken windows, then Lenore and Logan moved to other compartments to do the same.

Gus scrambled to his feet and found his own open empty window.

3

It was situations like this – being thrown into a raging river – that proved to Marduk his phoenix improvements were well worth the agonizing pain that came with the transformation. His powers didn't exactly give him the ability to fly, but he could levitate by will alone for short distances – or rather, he could rise with the heat.

It was harder when he was wet, but as he rose from the rapids, the moisture evaporated from his skin and clothes and he was able to stay just above the water surface. Slowly, he hovered to the bank and let his feet drop to the grass, tired from having used so much energy.

He walked up to the tree line and paused at the sounds of voices. He knew what bank he was on, so he quickened his pace to reach his allies.

The young man was quite surprised to find a crowd of kids milling around the globular prison instead of Optimates. Most of them were looking at their classmates stuck inside the bubble with a mixture of horror and curiosity. However a few were crowded around a girl lying prostrate on the grass. A few adults were there as well – a blond man tended to the injured girl, while the Auror he recognized from the train comforted a sobbing girl around the same age, and the last one, a woman with short black hair, kept the children around the blob from touching it.

The Auror noticed him first and immediately took out his wand.

"You!" he barked, putting the weeping girl behind him. "You come to join your friends?" He gestured to a number of Neos chained together not far away, all of them unconscious.

"I hope not," Marduk answered.

"Then you'd better get out of here pretty quickly," said the Auror.

"Harry, we can't wait much longer," cried the blond man as he knelt beside the girl. "I don't want to leave you all here, but I have to get Tricia to St. Mungo's soon."

The crying girl sat down beside him. "Is she going to die?" she choked.

The sentence caught Marduk's attention. "What happened to that girl?" he asked Harry, who was still holding up his wand threateningly.

"Pay attention, Neo," the Auror snapped. "I'm sick of dealing with you tossers –"

"I am paying attention," Marduk interrupted. "I can help her."

A loud, angry scoff came from a pretty young woman standing among the crowd. "And why would you do that?" she demanded, coming forward.

"Sydney," warned Harry, but she ignored him.

"Why would you help her, you murderer?" she asked heatedly.

"Listen, I didn't come here to kill people," Marduk told her.

"Oh, that's rich!" she hissed vehemently. "Did you hear that, Ferris? Mr. Pure here wants to condescend to help us Mudbloods and blood traitors. He doesn't mind terrorizing little kids, but he wouldn't want one to die."

"Sydney," Harry snarled, loosing his patience. "Move away from him."

But Sydney did just the opposite. She stormed straight up to Marduk and leaned up on her toes to better look him in the eye.

"You're disgusting!"

"I can help her," Marduk insisted.

"Why would you? She's Muggle born," Sydney retorted.

"You all seem to be under the impression that we're here to massacre impure children," he said, grimacing. "I don't want to kill anyone – especially a kid."

"Then you're sending some pretty mixed messages, you creep," Sydney responded. "What were you planning on doing with all of those students in that huge blob? Take them out for an Optimates tea party?"

"No, we want to make them better than what they are," Marduk informed her.

For a moment she looked both furious and appalled. Then she pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the face, making his head snap to the side. Marduk glared back at her, ignoring the stinging on his cheek, but he couldn't hide how his now faintly glowing skin.

"They don't need to be better!" Sydney screamed at him. "Who are you to say they're not as good as you?"

He leaned toward her then and out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry move a step closer. "Look, I don't care what you think about my beliefs," Marduk told her. "Muggle born or no, I see a girl over there who could die and a stupid, self-righteous prat keeping me from helping her."

"How can you help her?" asked the blond man suddenly.

Sydney spun around and gave her friend an incredulous look. "Ferris… he's a Death Eater!"

Marduk leaned around her and talked to the blond called Ferris. "I have phoenix powers," he explained quickly. "My tears can heal her."

"You can heal curses too?"

"I'm pretty sure."

Ferris and Harry exchanged looks. The young man's eyes were pleading, desperate for help, and the Auror seemed to give in.

"Alright, all of you move away from her," Harry told the students. "Get behind me somewhere."

They did as he said and peered inquisitively around him to get a better look as Marduk walked past Sydney to kneel beside the unconscious girl. He looked up at Ferris and their brief moment of eye contact was enough to tell him the blond would kill him if he harmed the child.

Taking a steadying breath, the Neo leaned over Tricia until his eyes were level with hers. He could see a red mark between her brows where she had been cursed. Blinking a few times, he turned his head slightly to the side and let a couple of tears fall from his eyes onto her forehead.

Everyone watched tensely, but nothing happened at first. He straightened slightly and waited. He was afraid perhaps Dante had over exaggerated his healing abilities and he wouldn't be able to do any good whatsoever.

However, his fears were put to rest a moment later when the girl finally moved her head a little and took a deep breath. Ferris leaned closer to her, a relieved smile breaking his strained features.

"Tricia?"

The girl's eyes opened at last and she looked around in a daze. "F-Ferris?" she muttered groggily.

"Hey," Ferris answered, tears running down his face. "Look at you, little cousin – you're okay. You're okay…"

Marduk stood to give them space and turned to find himself face to face with Sydney once again. She was much less hostile now, but she also looked very confused by his actions. He wondered if it was that hard to imagine he actually valued human life. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask her out loud. The fiery little woman had stirred a question in him that he couldn't quite figure out and he was afraid to open his mouth again.

4

Alton sat on the edge of one of the train cars. He took slow controlled breaths, but they weren't helping ease the severe pain in his arm. His fight with Marduk had landed him with a broken bone somewhere below his right elbow. The Blood Traitor recognized the feeling from a similar injury he'd gotten long ago during his martial arts training. He wasn't going to be doing much fighting for a while.

A loud clatter behind him made him start. He twisted around to find a silver pocket watch gleaming on the roof surface. Looking up, Alton saw Roman standing not far away.

"What the heck do you want?" asked the redhead, getting up to face his old friend. "Come to finish me off?"

"I tricked you," Roman told him flatly.

"No kidding. I know that already."

"No, you don't," the Italian insisted. "I tricked everyone. They just don't know it yet."

Alton raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you get hit on the head?"

"I'm sorry, Alt," Roman continued. "I didn't want to betray any of you. I didn't want to do this to the kids either, but it was the only way."

"The only way to what?" Alton asked, daring to hope there was still some good left in his friend.

"You'll see." Then the tall man gestured to the ignored pocket watch. "You'll want that. It's a portkey – but be sure to give it back to Jett when you're done. It's kind of special to her."

"For what –"

"Ah! Julius," exclaimed a jovial gravel-filled voice. "Who's this you've got?"

Alton spun around to see a grey-haired man with a horribly scarred face standing on the next car. He'd only seen the man up close once – when he had been mutated to breathe fire.

"Odin," he growled furiously.

The older man looked closer at him and his eyebrows suddenly shot up in recognition. "Mr. Drake! I can't believe you're still alive."

Alton didn't answer. He could only look back at Roman questioningly, but found he wasn't there. Whipping his head back to Odin, he saw that he'd joined the Optimates leader.

"I was just thinking of doing away with him, actually," Roman said, eyeing Alton blankly.

Someone ran up to them and whispered something into Odin's ear before backing away a few paces and waiting.

"Hmm," said the old man. "Apparently, no one can find Marduk. Do you think he'd have the guts to go A.W.O.L.?"

Alton couldn't help himself. "I kicked your boy's shiny golden butt into the river," he told them. "He's probably way down stream by now."

Odin frowned at him as if his sunny day had been briefly interrupted by a cloud.

Roman pulled out his wand and took aim at Alton. "All the more reason to get rid of this Mudblood," he declared.

Alton glared at him and wiped away any hope of regaining his friend from this Death Eater hell.

"Very, good," Odin barked approvingly. "Oh, before I go, Julius, I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the entire mission. Everything is going exactly to plan."

Roman bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Sir."

"Proceed, please," the old man allowed. "I think I'll watch before I leave." He folded his arms to wait intently for Alton's death.

Alton's eyes widened when he realized he truly was about to die. He glanced around the area for any help, but found none. He was alone and he knew he couldn't bloke the spell that was coming even if his wand arm wasn't broken.

Roman focused on him for another second, ready to fire… Then his eyes flashed to the side. He turned his wand on Odin.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

The underground lord crumpled and fell dead beside his second in command.

Alton gawked at the body, frozen in utter shock.

The underling, who was still waiting a few steps away, sputtered something incoherent as he gaped in horror at his fallen commander. "You killed…killed Odin!" he cried at last, pointing an accusing finger at Roman. As if frightened he was going to be next, the man immediately Disapparated.

Alton quickly looked down and snatched up the pocket watch before going to Roman. His friend's normally tanned complexion was now quite pale – he almost looked faint.

"Roman, we have to get you out of here," Alton exclaimed, pulling on Roman's arms. "That bloke's going to come back with more Neos any minute."

Roman shook his head. "No," he breathed. "That's it for me, Alt. I'm done. Form this moment on I'm dead."

"Don't be an idiot! We'll get the kids and we'll get out of here."

Roman shook his head again, his face becoming more resolute. "No, Alton. That's what you're going to do. With Odin gone, the battle is over. Put the portkey in the prison and it'll take everyone touching it to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" asked Alton, confused.

Roman smiled slightly. "I made it that way just in case everything else failed – wouldn't want Dante getting his hands on them after all I put them through."

"You tricked everyone…" Alton muttered, repeating what Roman had told him before. "Look, I'm not leaving you here to be murdered."

"Sorry, but it's the only way."

"It is not!" Alton insisted, a lump rising to his throat. "We'll hide you or something."

The sound of many feet running over the roof came from behind them.

Roman seized Alton's shoulders and shook him slightly. "If they don't have me," he said, "they'll come after everyone until they find me. I have to stay, and you have to leave – now!"

Alton looked at the approaching Optimates, then back at Roman. Finally giving in, he nodded once and grabbed his friend in a brief hug with his good arm. Neither of them could say anything that would make a difference now, so he simply let go and Disapparated.

Roman stared blankly at the spot where Alton had been. The Neos reached him and he did nothing as someone circled their arm around his neck from behind. Several wands pressed against his skin and everywhere there was shouting. Malleus fell to his knees at the sight of his dead father, before turning his rage on Roman, cursing him repeatedly and demanding to be told why.

Roman lost consciousness.

5

"How much longer do you think we can hold them off, Quin?" Lenore shouted to he heard over their fight with the Neos outside the train. She was in the compartment next to his, ducking below the shattered window for protection against oncoming hexes.

"I don't know," she heard him yell back.

"Keep shooting!" bellowed Yvette from the hall. "I can hold them off the door all day!"

Lenore winced as she saw blood spatter across the floor in front of her compartment. Yvette was defending the entrances a little too ferociously.

"They're leaving!" Gus called from the other side of the car. "No one's left on our side."

Lenore peered cautiously out of the window in time to see the Optimates outside Disapparate as well.

"What's going on?" Quin asked in disbelief. "Why did they stop?"

Logan suddenly came into Lenore's compartment to use her window to peer around the sides of the train. "They're leaving everywhere," he said. "You think they're going after a new target?"

"I'm not waiting around to find out," Yvette informed them, scooping up Imogene from the floor and kicking open a door before jumping off the car.

"Wait!" Quin said to her retreating back. "There might be retaliation!"

"_I don't care_!" Yvette snarled over her shoulder. "Stay there and cower if you want. I'm gone."

Lenore and Logan looked at each other inside her compartment. After a second they shrugged and got up to gather Gus and Quin. Together, the four of them swiftly followed after the vampires.

6

"FIRE!" Kingsley hollered.

Every Auror, and Ginny and Remy, shot all manner of hexes, jinxes, and curses over the debris trench at the Optimates. The commotion of magic pinging off rubble and the walls didn't die down until at least five minutes later when Kingsley told them to stop.

Then an odd silence filled the room as the newly disturbed dust swirled around the air.

The eerie quiet settled over them as they waited to be attacked again, but nothing ever came. There wasn't as much as a cough from the other side. Agape sat up a little and squinted hard, searching for signs of movement from the Neos.

"You think they're all unconscious?" Remy asked hopefully.

"That's impossible," Ginny told him. "There's no way all of them could be down with one attack. Merlin's beard, Agape, get down!"

The tall woman had stood up and pushed her long hair out of her face to study the enemy lines closer. "They're gone," she breathed. "There isn't a single person left over there."

"Gone?" Tonks demanded, standing up as well. "I can't see! Why are they all gone?"

Others started rising to their feet and carefully stalking across the floor to the other side.

"She's right – no one's here," one called back.

"Is it some kind of trap?"

Agape took another scan of the large space, wanting to be absolutely sure she wasn't mistaken, when she spotted two people not far from the hallway to the broken lift. The murky air cleared ever so slightly and the two women came into better focus; one tall and brunet with a long scar on her face, the other shorter and blond with pale blue eyes.

For a moment they could see her too. Jules put a finger to her lips in a shushing manner, so Agape kept quiet and didn't approach them. When another cloud of dust floated by, they were gone and Agape knew the Optimates were not coming back.

7

Harry was still trying to decide what to do with the phoenix mutate when Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Order showed up on the east bank with another large group of children being herded forward by Neville.

"Oh! The students!" McGongall said, stricken at the sight of the imprisoned children. "How do we get them out? Are they hurt?" Her hand was a nasty purplish color as she reached out to touch the magic glob. Payton gently took her wrist to prevent her getting stuck in the goo, and patted her hand reassuringly.

Fred and George carried a barely lucid Charlie between them, and gawked at the amount of captured kids upon seeing the prison.

Behind them, Remus didn't seem to be able to breathe properly and his wife, Tundra, was supporting him under one arm. With blood trailing a lengthy stain from her lips to her robes, the thin woman didn't look too good either. She looked around the clusters of people, obviously in search of her son and daughter.

Hermione went to Ferris, Tricia, and Kyla, who were still sitting on the ground. Holes in her shirt revealed some pretty bad cuts on her side, but she made Ferris let her help the gash on his chest with her wand. Ron left her to it and came over to Harry.

"Who's this bloke?" he asked, looking at Marduk.

"A mutate," Harry answered. "He saved one of the kids… Now I don't know what to do with him."

"Arrest him maybe?" the redhead offered.

"Ron!" snapped Hermione. "Ferris said he just save his cousin's life!"

Ron gave his wife an outraged look. "One good deed isn't enough to cover for a million bad ones," he argued.

Marduk observed them without saying a word. He was less concerned with the wand in his face than he was with the fact that none of the other Optimates had returned yet. He could tell something was going on that he was unaware of.

"He's only… what nineteen? Less?" Harry said. "How many bad things could he have done in his lifetime?"

"Well, Draco Malfoy certainly did more than his fair share of bad things before he was nineteen," Ron reminded him. "Just put him with the lot you've got chained up over there. The Ministry can deal with him."

Harry considered this and thought it was probably the best thing to do. He raised his wand to stun the young man, but hesitated again. He could see a wand sticking out of his pocket, but Marduk never once reached for it. He wasn't even using his fire powers against them. Why wasn't he protecting himself? Why didn't try to escape like most halfway capable Optimates would?

He was distracted once again by new arrivals. A scarcely clothed Yvette came through the trees carrying Imogene in her arms and followed by blood covered Lupin twins, Logan, and Gus.

The orangey haired girl, Antonia went up to Lenore to assist Quin in helping her walk on her injured foot.

That was everyone except Alton. Harry's brow furrowed as he looked back at Marduk. The golden haired man was the last one Alton had fought with as far as he knew – but now he was standing here and the Blood Traitor was not. The Auror wondered if his eyes had tricked him when he saw Alton standing on the train roof.

Gus hurried up to him and leaned close to Harry's ear before whispering, "The Neos have gone. Some must have made them stop."

Harry glared at Marduk. "Where are your friends?" he demanded. "I didn't think they'd be that easy to get rid of."

Marduk suddenly looked much more anxious and he looked northward as if hoping he could see the bridge from where they stood.

"All of the students are here!" McGonagall called out joyfully. "I've done a head count and everyone is accounted for."

A wave of relieved mutters ran through the crowd.

There was a pop and Alton suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He was paler than parchment and his face was taut. Gus immediately went to him and touched his shoulder.

"Are you alright, mate?"

Alt didn't answer. He looked at Harry instead and spoke in a tense, hoarse voice.

"Roman killed Odin," he said. "We can leave now."

"_What_?" cried several people as the students asked who Odin was.

Harry's jaw dropped open and Marduk sucked in a sharp breath. A burst of flames was the only sign of the Neo's departure, but Harry found himself not caring anymore. He lowered his wand and moved toward Alton.

The small man held up a silver pocket watch for him to see. "He gave me the portkey to take the students back to Hogwarts, but we have to go soon… or the Optimates might come back."

McGonagall was the first to react actively. "I-I'll make more portkeys so we can all leave at once," she said softly. "Children, can you help me find some rocks and sticks?"

"You don't have to," Alton told her soberly. "All you have to do is touch the bubble. It'll take us all there."

He walked over to the gelatinous prison and put one hand inside. Eventually, everyone else followed suit. It was a good thing the blob had grown so big; at least fifty or sixty hands had to hold onto it. The adults made sure every child was safely secured and Harry held tight to Kyla beside him.

Taking one last look toward the direction of the bridge, Alton took the pocket watch in his left hand and plunged it into the clear goo. In a whirl they were gone.

8

The entire student population of Hogwarts and the two vigilante groups arrived back at the school grounds in a heap. The blob prison shook violently for a moment before finally bursting open and freeing them all. The kids inside awoke from their vacancy with a start and peered around questioningly as they wiped slime off of themselves. They were liberated at last.

Harry held Kyla in a hug as she quietly wept. "I'm sorry," he muttered into her black hair. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this. You were so brave."

Grateful tears welled up in his eyes as he kissed the top of his daughter's head. "I'm just so glad you're okay…"

Nearby, Alton had broken down at last. He sat on the grass and Payton held him as he sobbed. They ignored the commotion behind them as Yvette roughly shoved Logan away from her.

"I told you Roman would never betray us!" she screamed at the werewolf. "He saved us all! And we just left him there to die!" As she started to crumple, Logan caught her in his arms and said quiet words that seemed to calm her some.

Sydney and Ferris had formed a small circle on the grass with Tricia, Trevor, and Monty. They simply sat in silence, Ferris keeping one hand on his cousin's shoulder.

Madam Pomfrey ran out of the school at some point and started taking the kids inside with McGonagall.

"Someone's already alerted St. Mungo's," Harry heard the nurse say to the Headmistress. "Two women arrived not long ago and told us what happened. They say help is on its way."

"Oh, that's wonderful – so many of the students need medical attention. We must tell the parents," McGonagall replied. "How much calming potion do you think we have in stock…"

Their conversation faded as they moved further away and Harry looked down at his daughter. "Are you hurt? Do you need to go inside?"

"No," she said. "I'm okay. I just want to go home."

Harry nodded. "I know…"

It wasn't long before he saw the familiar figures of Jules and Jett crossing the grounds toward the group. He assumed they had been the ones who Madam Pomfrey had spoken of when she said someone had contacted St. Mungo's.

Jules quickly found Ferris and pulled him close for a kiss, while Jett stood away from the others looking rather dejected. She wasn't far from Harry and when they made eye contact and she acknowledged him with a nod of her head. He didn't know why she was there, but took her presence as a generally good sign since it probably meant she was on their side after all.

"You know why they wanted the kids, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "They were going to mutate them. Odin said it was a way to make impure witches and wizards useful to pure bloods, but really it was so he could brainwash them and bulk up his army."

"Why children, though?"

"They're bodies are still growing," Jett said darkly. "They're more likely to survive the transition than adults. You can even look at the newest Millitis Optime – none of them were above eighteen when they were changed."

Harry knew now why the Neos had congratulated Trevor on surviving: he was the first child they ever experimented on and he'd clearly accepted the changes quite successfully. That victory must have given Odin the idea to use more children as his pawns.

The Auror was disgusted by the mere thought.

Gus walked up to Jett then, holding the pocket watch in his hand. He held out the now slimy silver object to her and she cupped it in her hands, peering up at him.

"Alton said I should give this to you," he told her.

"It was Charlton's," she said, smiling down at the watch.

Gus nodded. "I know. I'm glad you kept it."

"Harry! Kyla!"

Father and daughter whipped around to see Ginny running toward them with Agape close behind. Kyla reached out and was immediately pressed into her mother's chest. Harry was baffled to see his wife and Agape covered from head to toe in dust.

"What on earth happened?" he asked.

"The Ministry was attacked," Agape explained. "That's why I couldn't bring the trainees to help you – we were too busy fighting at headquarters. Harry, level two is virtually destroyed."

Harry's head jerked back to Ginny. "Why were you at the Ministry?" he asked, his eyes wide with concern. "I thought you were at home!"

"I was looking for you," Ginny told him. "But it doesn't matter now, as long as you and Kyla are safe."

Harry put his arms around his two girls as Ginny's brothers and Hermione came over to them, completing the rather tired, roughed up family.


	16. Chapter 15 The Next Generation

Chapter Fifteen

The Next Generation

1

Diagon Alley was crowded as ever as the sun beamed down over the early afternoon shoppers. Logan walked with little Libby riding piggyback on his back. Sydney was there as well, tagging along with them on their outing to pick up a few things.

"_Bonjour, je_ meh…meh…" Liberty struggled with the French phrase Syd was trying to teach her.

"_Je m'appelle_," Sydney supplied.

"_Bonjour, je m'appelle _Libby!" the girl exclaimed triumphantly.

Logan laughed proudly.

" _Merveilleux_!" clapped Sydney. "You're brilliant, Liberty! Okay, Logan, I'll be back in a min. I just need to stop in the Apothecary."

"We'll be at the Weasleys' shop," Logan told her before she hurried off.

Inside the Apothecary, Sydney gathered everything she needed in a shopping bag and paid the clerk. She was just stepping out of the shop to go catch up with her friends when she collided with someone, bouncing off of them and dropping her bag.

"Oh, my – I'm so sorry," she said automatically. Then she froze as the man she had hit bent to collect her bag for her. Though she couldn't see his face yet, his hair was a golden color that seemed to shimmer like a phoenix's feathers.

"No, sorry, it's my fault," he told her, straightening. It was indeed, the Optimus Marduk.

He stopped as well when he recognized her, holding the forgotten bag halfway between them. They stood that way for some time, neither one knowing quite what to do. At last, Sydney snatched her bag away from him and grabbed her wand.

"Are you honestly going to pull your wand on me in public?" he inquired with raised eyebrows.

"I was thinking about it yes," Sydney responded hotly. "After all, you are a Neo and it's my duty as a Blood Traitor to bring you to justice." She glared at him challengingly. "What do you think, Marduk? Care for a very public duel?"

"Please, don't call me that here," he asked politely.

"Fine. Will _scumbag_ do?"

Marduk sighed. "How about Fintan?" he responded.

"Is that your real name?" Sydney demanded.

"…Yes."

"Why the heck would you tell me that?"

He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "I really have no idea."

She gave him a confused look. After watching him fight with the BT only four months before, it was very strange seeing him out in public like a normal person. He was acting so peculiar – almost shy, or something.

"Are you going to curse me with that, or can I pass?" he asked, eyeing her wand.

"I don't know if I can trust you not to kidnap the nearest teenager and make them a freak. Of course, the nearest teenager would be me." She paused to arch a sarcastic eyebrow at him, "You can give it your best shot, if you'd like. I'm a half-blood werewolf, so that should add an interesting touch to your new boss's experiments."

"I don't want to do anything to you," he hissed, glancing around the crowd to make sure no one had overheard her. "I just want to leave here without starting a duel."

"For someone who causes a lot of fights, you sure don't like confrontation," she commended dryly.

"Not with you, I don't," he replied. "So?"

They regarded each other for another moment, but eventually Sydney relented and put away her wand. "I have to meet someone," she said bitterly, "and I wouldn't want to spoil their day by bringing you into it."

"Fair enough," he sighed as she brushed by him.

She was only a few steps away when suddenly:

"Sydney…"

The dark haired girl spun back toward him, never having felt so affronted that someone had remembered her name. "What?" she snapped.

"Before, you… you asked me a question that I haven't been able to answer," he said.

"And what was that?"

"It was what you said about those students," he said, looking incredibly awkward as his skin flushed brightly. "And I think…you were right. I can't see how pure bloods are really any different than everyone else."

Obviously embarrassed by his words and eager to go, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Sydney gaping after him in total shock.

2

Construction on level two of the Ministry of Magic had finally finished after four months of work, and things seemed relatively back to normal in the Auror headquarters. Harry was still working on the same case about missing children, and he realized now that finding all of them probably wouldn't happen. However, as the Blood Traitors specialized in runaways (having quite a few in their group), they had agreed to keep their eyes and ears open for the young people in his files.

He had put a huge map of the UK up in his office and had several of the kids' photos pinned to certain locations – the rest of the wall was plastered with handwritten notes about the case.

It was this map he was staring at when he heard Yates's awful, curt voice pass by his door. Harry glanced over at the door to see Remus's daughter still following the terrible woman around.

"Here are some notes I took. It should be a pretty straight forward case," said the old woman to her assistant as they paused near his office.

"Yes," Lenore agreed, nodding as she looked at the notes.

"Well, that's all. You're on your own."

Lenore swayed on the spot. "My own? You mean you're giving me a case?"

"Why else would I give you the notes?" snarled Yates.

Lenore looked absolutely thrilled. She even hugged the crotchety old cow before she ran back toward Investigations.

Harry grinned when he saw a smile threatening to form somewhere on Yate's deeply wrinkled face as she walked off. Harry's new assistant passed her in the hall, wishing her a good afternoon before coming inside.

Not long after meeting Antonia Allen on the Hogwarts express, Harry offered her the job as his assistant – which she took the very next day. It quickly became evident that Antonia could make friends with just about anybody. She was almost too friendly – plus she talked incessantly – but she was making an amazing assistant.

"Here's today's paper, Harry," she beamed, tossing the _Daily Prophet_ onto his desk. "There's an article about those blokes everyone hates so much."

Harry leaned over the paper and saw a headline about the upcoming trial of Huxley and Hellewege, the two officials who had been marked as Neos during the recent battle. After Icarus Crocker's arrest less than a year ago, more and more Ministry employees were being questioned about any suspected Otpimates activity. Tonks was in charge of the case, and she was already sick of it.

He looked up and saw that Antonia had sat down at her desk and was ripping into an envelope of her own. "What have you got today?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"My Remy-kins sent me a letter," she told him, twirling a strand of her curly orange hair around her finger. "He's so thoughtful. I can't wait to get married!"

Harry silently mouthed the last six words alone with her. It had gotten pretty predictable, since she said them every single day. That sentence was most fathers' worst nightmare, and he dreaded the day he would hear Kyla utter them. However, now he two daughters to worry about.

Ginny had given birth to tiny Risa Potter just two months ago, and she was the most adorable baby in the world in her father's opinion. She was so little and cute with her fine auburn hair and chubby face. Kyla had transitioned gracefully into big-sisterhood and had spent most of her summer babysitting.

Ginny decided she wouldn't go back to work managing the Hollyhead Harpies until Risa was a little older. She was content for now to be with her daughters at home.

"Oh yeah," Antonia said, taking Harry from his thoughts as she folded up the letter from her fiancé. "I passed Agape in the hall, and she had some good news. She took her first exam and aced it. You wouldn't believe how happy she was."

"Great," said Harry, happy Agape was doing better with training. "Maybe she can replace me in three years and I can retire at forty," he joked.

"You mean forty-one?" Antonia corrected.

Harry gave her a narrow sideways glance. "Are you looking for a dock in your pay, young lady?"

Her eyes went innocently wide behind her horn rim glasses. "I don't know what you mean," she said with a smirk, "you'll certainly be the youngest looking forty-one-year-old I've ever seen."

"That's more like it."

Antonia chuckled. "Aren't you meeting your brother-in-law for lunch?" she reminded him. "It's almost noon."

"Oops," said the Auror, dropping his open case file on his desk. "Ron and I won't take long," he informed her as he headed for the door, "but go ahead and take you lunch break too."

"Can do, Boss. Enjoy lunch!"

Harry smiled and nodded as he left his office. She really was far too friendly.

3

SMACK!

"Why did you do it?"

SMACK!

"Did you think you could take his place? Wanted to be in charge?"

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

"You could _never_ be as good as him!"

Literally everything on Roman hurt. He had been kept in a dark cell somewhere for a very, very long time where occasionally they would string him up by his wrists and torture him. They had done all sorts of things to him – like test new curses. The thing about incomplete magic, is that it does things to a person that it was never intended to do. It's unpredictable what side effects a new spell might carry – especially when the new person in charge seemed to be trying to add to the list of unforgivable curses.

Roman was surprised Malleus had not taken control after his father's death (perhaps he had been judged too coarse). To his horror, Dante had ascended the throne. If he had known things would end up this way, he never would have killed Odin. Things could only get worse for everyone from now on.

"_Are you listening_?" screamed Morrigan, her voice starting to go hoarse.

Roman didn't answer. He never did. He just thought about anything but the pain until he eventually lost consciousness.

There seemed to be a debate over what to do with him, which was why he had lived so long. Dante wanted to keep him alive for as long as his body would hold out. After all, he could do virtually anything he wanted to a traitor like Roman. Morrigan, on the other hand, had wanted him dead from the start. Apparently, for now at least, she was allowed to take out her frustrations on him in whatever way she liked, as long as he was alive afterward.

SMACK!

He wasn't sure why his body hadn't simply given up by now. He certainly had, why shouldn't it follow suit? Other than being forced to stand, he only moved to consume the little bit of food they gave him – after that all of his energy was spent on merely existing.

Everything hurt.

He felt the blood rising up his esophagus again and he choked on it, coughing it up as Morrigan slapped him again.

"You've _ruined everything_!" the woman shouted irately. "All I want now is to see you _die_. You've ruined my life!"

She drew back her hand to hit him again, when she unexpectedly halted, her eyes wide in surprise. Suddenly, she collapsed, revealing a person standing in the open doorway behind her with a wand in their hand. The person wore hooded robes, but it was obviously a woman.

"Oh, God…" she breathed. "Roman…"

He could barely focus on her voice long enough to tell who she was, but then she pulled back her hood. The beautiful, scarred face of Jett stared back at him as if she what she was seeing caused her pain.

"Roman, can you hear me?" she asked.

"Yes," he breathed.

"I'm going to get you out," she told him.

"No…"

"Don't try to convince me otherwise," she told him, putting a finger to his cracked and bloody lips. "I refuse to let them kill you. I won't let that happen again."

She moved close to him so she could reach the chains holding his wrists.

"D-did you kill her?" Roman rasped, looking at Morrigan's body on the floor.

"No. I'll need her alive for my plan to work," Jett answered, releasing his chains and catching him under the arms to help him stand.

"What plan?"

"I'm going to make her greatest fear come true: I'm going to replace her. I'll pretend to be her and bring down the Optimates from the inside."

Using his legs sent spasms of pain up his back and his knees soon buckled. Despite being starved for so long, Jett still had a hard time holding him up. "Hang on," she told him as she set him down on the floor. "This won't take long."

She reached out and plucked two hairs from Morrigan's head before pointing her wand at the unconscious woman and slowly transforming her into a black rat. Jett picked her up by the tail and placed her in her robes pocket. "I need her hair," she explained, taking a flask off of her belt and putting the two strands inside. She tossed her head back and took a long draft, pulling a face of disgust.

Suddenly she was changing; her hair grew straighter and darker, while the skin on her pretty face became pale, taught, and ten years older. It wasn't long before Morrigan was standing before him again – only this time as an ally.

"Are you ready?" she asked, bending down to bring her face level to his.

Roman looked at her concerned expression coming through Morrigan's face. It was a strange sight. "Are you?"

She smiled wryly. "You took care of Odin. Now, I'm going to bring down Morrigan. It's time for the next wave, my friend… and for once the good side has the upper hand."

He could hardly believe it, but he actually managed to smile back at her.

"Let's go."

_(The End! I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to lulgijak for being such a patient beta reader for me!)_


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